The Filipino Express Issue 22

President Aquino officially declared
2015 as ‘Visit the Philippines Year’
USCIS Begins
Accepting H-4
Work Permit
Applications
Page 10
VOL. 29 w NO. 22 w May 29-June 4, 2015 w NATIONAL EDITION w NEW JERSEY w NEW YORK w 201-434-1114 w $1.00
US affirms 'ironclad' promise
to defend Philippines
Agence France-Presse
WASHINGTON -- US Defense Secretary Ashton
Carter told his Philippine counterpart on
Wednesday, May 27, that Washington's pledge to
defend the Pacific nation remains “ironclad” and
called for an end to land reclamation in the South
China Sea, officials said.
In talks in Hawaii with Voltaire Gazmin,
Philippine secretary of national defense, the
Pentagon chief “reaffirmed” the strong ties between
the two countries and discussed territorial disputes
in the contested waters of the South China Sea,
u Page 4
‘By hook or by crook, China will
plunder our resources’ Page 3
Taiwan proposes plan to ease South
China Sea tensions Page 4
SHOW OF FORCE. A Dolphin Z-9 helicopter of the Chinese Navy’s missile frigate CNS Yulin flies off the deck of the Singapore
Navy’s missile frigate RSS Intrepid during the “Exercise Maritime Cooperation 2015” of the Singapore and Chinese navies in the
South China Sea on Monday, May 25, shown in a photo released by China’s Xinhua News Agency. AP
Filipino in NY sues PAL
for $10 Million - report
By Yuji Gonzales
A Filipino woman in New
York has sued the Philippine
Airlines (PAL) for $10 million or
about P446, 314,000 for a
canceled flight that was never
rebooked, a US news agency
reported.
In a report by Californiabased Courthouse News Service ,
the lawsuit against PAL was filed
in a high court on Tuesday by a
certain Cherilyn Darilag, who
complained of being transferred
from one hotel to another after
her May 17 flight from the John F.
Kennedy International Airport to
the Philippines via Vancouver
was not rescheduled.
The report said Darilag's
flight was grounded due to
mechanical problems.
“After waiting three hours in
the Airbus jet while it sat on the
tarmac, Darilag and about 250
other passengers were then told
to deplane because of a
mechanical problem, according
to the complaint,” the report read.
Citing the Filipino's
complaint, the report said
Darilag and other passengers,
who stayed at a hotel for a night,
were promised by PAL to be
flown to Manila the following
morning. But Darilag said no PAL
u Page 8
Roxas to Poe: Be my Vice President
But Senator Poe is noncommittal
By Leila B. Salaverria
Interior Secretary Mar Roxas,
the prospective presidential
candidate of the ruling Liberal
Party (LP), has asked Sen. Grace
Poe to be his vice presidential
running mate.
But Poe, fast emerging as a
presidential candidate, has not
made a commitment to Roxas.
“The plan of Senator Roxas is
clear to me now. Sometimes, when
we see each other, he mentions
that it would be good if we [run]
together,” Poe told reporters on
u Page 5
Interior Secretary Mar Roxas, the prospective presidential candidate of the ruling
Liberal Party, has asked Sen. Grace Poe to be his vice presidential running mate.
Inquirer file photos
Poe: Country needs more women leaders Page 5
Vatican: Irish gay marriage
vote a 'defeat for humanity’
Associated Press
Pope Francis exchanges his skull cap with one donated to him, as he
leaves at the end of his weekly general audience, in St. Peter's Square, at
the Vatican, Wednesday, May 27, 2015. AP
VATICAN CITY -- The Vatican's
secretary of state has called the
Irish vote to legalize gay marriage a
“defeat for humanity,” evidence of
the soul-searching going on in
Catholic circles after the
predominantly Roman Catholic
country overwhelmingly rejected
traditional church teaching on
marriage.
Cardinal Pietro Parolin said he
was saddened by the landslide
decision, in which more than 62
percent of Irish voters said “yes,”
despite church teaching that
marriage is only between a man and
woman.
In comments to reporters
Tuesday (May 26) evening, Parolin
referred to remarks by the
Archbishop of Dublin, Diarmuid
Martin, that the results showed the
church needed to do a “reality
check” since it clearly wasn't
reaching young people with its
message.
“I don't think you can speak only
about a defeat for Christian
principles, but a defeat for
humanity,” he said.
The Catholic Church in Ireland
has lost much of its moral authority
following widespread sex abuse
u Page 13
May 29-June 4, 2015
Page 2
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
PNoy please: NO to China's bribery?
June 12 Boycott Made in China Goods & Banks! PH Not for Sale!
U.S. Pinoys for Good Governance
115 East 57th St. Suite 1430, New York, NY 10022
May 18, 2015
President Benigno S Aquino III
C/O DFA Secretary Albert del Rosario
Republic of the Philippines
Thru the office of Ambassador Jose Cuisia Jr
Embassy of the Philippines
Washington DC
Dear President Aquino,
We, Filipinos in the Diaspora, whose signatures are attached below, are very
disturbed and dismayed by the Memorandum of Agreement signed by the Secretary
of Department of Finance, Cesar Purisima, on behalf of the Philippine government
to join the Peoples Republic of China in establishing the Asian Infrastructure
Investment Bank (AIIB).
Knowing what we know now of China's rapid reclamation of eight artificially
made islands within the Philippines EEZ Exclusive Economic Zone as set by the
United Nations Convention of Laws of the Seas (UNCLOS), how could our
government be in partnership with China when she is shamefully defiantly
grabbing what does not belong to her?
The Tribunal of the United Nations will decide by next year the case the
Philippines filed a year and a half ago as to which country has the right to exploit
the territory in the West Philippine Sea - Philippines or China.
China refused to recognize the jurisdiction of UNCLOS Tribunal because in front
of the court, China and the Philippines become equal in law. That is not acceptable
to China because she is vastly superior in military strength and hardware.
By refusing to dispute our case, and subject itself to the UN Tribunal's
jurisdiction, when UNCLOS tribunal decide the case against China, she will
defiantly ignore its decision.
China knows that possession is 99% of the law.
That explains the rush of China to reclaim the land in the West Philippine Sea
knowing full well that when the UNCLOS Tribunal decides in favor of the
Philippines, the United Nations is powerless to execute its judgment against China.
Therefore, joining China in the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank is like a
father receiving funds knowing that the funder is raping his daughter. He ignores
that he and his daughter belong to one family.
The Republic of the Philippines is one country, and we cannot separate financial
gain from territorial integrity!
Let us show the world that we stand for the rule of law, that we are a nation of
principles, that our National Anthem is our battle cry: "SA MANLULUPIG, DI KA
PASI-SIIL"!
Please do NOT join China in her Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB).
Sincerely,
Loida Nicolas Lewis, U.S. Pinoys for Good Governance
Rodel Rodis, U.S. Pinoys for Good Governance
Ted Laguatan, Global Filipino Diaspora Council
J.T. S Mallonga, Esq., National Chair, National Federation of Filipino American Associations
Angie Cruz, Spirituality in the Workplace
Eric Lachica, Coalition For Filipino Veterans, Inc.
Mitzi Pickard, Philippine Arts, Letters & Media Council (PALM)
J. Nimfa Y. Gomez, Caring Hearts Foundation
Consuelo Almonte, Philippine Group of Aging Seniors of America
Steve Raga, Filipino American Civic Engagement
Romeo Z. Cayabyab, Emanila.com Media (Australia)
Filomita Mongaya Hoegsholm, GCFD Northern Europe Representative
Lolita Farmer,OAM, Global Filipinos Sydney, Australia
Ruth Carlos Martinez, Global Filipino, Melbourne Australia
Myrna Obligacion-Carreon, President, Philippine American Chamber of Commerce of North Texas
Greg Mariano, Jr. - Member, USP4GG, Hollidaysburg, PA
Bambi Lorica, MD FAAP, USP4GG, Washington, DC
Nony E. Abrajano, Chairman & Founder, Filipino American Community Action Group
Dr. Celia Lamkin, Chairman, US Pinoys for Good Goverance,Marianas Chapter (CNMI and Guam)
Dr. Evelyn de Asis-Natividad, USP4GG, Chicago, IL
Ely Natividad, Dr. Jose Rizal Memorial Foundation, USP4GG, Chicago, IL
Diego Rubio, Ph.D, FilAm CAG Virginia Beach, VA
Aida Garcia, President, Filipino Communities Council of Australia Inc.
Jose Ramos, U. S. Pinoys for Good Goverance-NY
Ernesto Gange, U.S. Pinoys For Good Goverance
Marcelina Manalo-Emert, Tulluyang Pinoy, Zurich Switzerland
Ernesto S. Pamolarco, Jr., Chairman Youth Success Global Foundation, Inc.
Gus Mercado, Chairman & CEO Datalogix Texas, Inc.
Edna Esguerra, US Pinoys For Good Goverance
Frank Celoza, Pilipino American Association of New England Inc.
Jet Pizarro, Filipinos for Good Goverance
Roger Alama,PE,SE President, Ateneo Alumni Assoication of North America
Marlon Pecson, Chicago Council on Global Affairs
Aida Bartolome, Foundation for Filipino Artists
Mena Edmonstone, Global Filipino Diaspora Council (Oceania Coordinator)
Betonio Bienvenido, GFDC Phnom Penh Cambodia
Daisy Tucay RN, Global Philippine Assn. of Retirement Counselors
Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert Del Rosario (left) listens to Ms. Loida
Nicolas Lewis, national chair of the U.S. Pinoys for Good Governance, who
explained the reasons why the Aquino Administration should not join China's Asian
Infrastructure Investment Bank. PH Ambassador Jose Cuisia (right) joins the
conversation after the May 12, 2015 forum at the Center for Strategic and
International Studies in Washington DC. Lewis later issued a USPGG open letter to
President Aquino urging him to do so. USPGG leaders have scheduled "Boycott
Made in China Products" demonstrations on June 12, 2015 at Walmart and Macy
stores in several cities to protest recent China's invasion of Philippine maritime
territory. Photo by Eric Lachica
May 29-June 4, 2015
Page 3
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Protest set vs US, China
'threats to PH sovereignty'
By Aries Joseph Hegina
Activists and citizen groups
are gearing up for a large rally on
June 12 to condemn the recent
actions by China regarding its
claim over disputed territories in
the West Philippine Sea (South
China Sea) and the alleged
military presence of the United
States in the country.
The Independence Day rally,
which has the theme “Hands Off
the Philippines,” will be led by
former senator Rene Saguisag,
actress Bibeth Orteza and Bayan
Muna party-list Representative
Neri Colmenares. They said that
the acts of US and China
“constitute real and serious
threats to Philippine sovereignty
and territorial integrity.”
“The US, as lone superpower,
and China as a fast rising regional
power, have no qualms riding
roughshod over the Philippines to
advance their economic and
geopolitical-military interests in
the region,” the organizers of the
rally said in a statement.
They said that Filipinos should
be united in defending the
country.
“The US and China connive and
compete with one another to
impose their dominance over the
region. This situation demands a
united and visible response from
our people,” the statement read.
The activists also urged the
government to craft an
“independent foreign policy”
which does not lean on the
interests of the two global powers.
“Ordinary citizens need to be
involved in defending our land and
seas and in pursuing a truly
independent foreign policy that
neither bows to China's bullying
nor kowtows to US imposition,” it
added.
The “Hands Off Philippines
rally will begin with a mobilization
in front of the Chinese embassy in
Makati City at 9 a.m. then will
proceed to US embassy at 11 a.m.
China has made the headlines
recently after its navy warned off a
US surveillance plane flying over
the Fiery Cross Reef in the West
Philippine Sea, where it conducted
massive reclamation work.
On Tuesday, May 26, China's
Defense Ministry spokesman Yang
Yujun downplayed the criticisms
of US and other claimants who
said that the rising superpower is
sowing tension in the region.
Yujun said that its
construction activities in the
disputed islands “are no different
from other construction activities
in the country.” Inquirer.net
'By hook or by crook, China
will plunder our resources'
By Nikko Dizon
MANILA -- The escalating
tension in the South China Sea is
a “test of power and money”
among all the nations that have
a stake in the maritime dispute,
particularly the United States
and China, a Filipino security
expert said on Tuesday, May 26.
“It's a test of power, money,
everything. Everybody wants to
defy China's actions but now it's
all pronouncements,” said
Chester Cabalza, a professor at
the National Defense College of
the Philippines.
While the Philippines waits
for the decision of the United
Nations arbitration committee
and maintains a status quo in
the disputed areas, China “grabs
i t s m o m e n t u m ,” h e s a i d .
“Nothing can stop them.”
The US military may have
pivoted to the Asia-Pacific and
issued warnings to China, but
Beijing will still have the upper
hand, Cabalza said.
“I'm not saying they (China)
will win in terms of war. No war
will happen. But they will
succeed in the plundering of
resources as we can see now. By
hook or by crook, they will get
those resources,” he said.
“The pressure is highintensity but both countries
cannot afford it, not in terms of
defense. More likely, it would be
a word war, not a world war. No
arms would be involved, but
h a r s h w o rd s , d i p l o m a t i c
protests, economic sanctions,”
Cabalza said.
'National stand'
T h e c o nve n i n g o f t h e
National Security Council (NSC)
could be a pragmatic move for
President Aquino to come up
with a “national stand” as the
situation worsens, he said.
Cabalza said that the NSC
meeting would include
Malacañang, former Presidents,
representatives from the
security sector, the maritime
community, and even the
private sector.
O n M o n d a y, M a y 2 5 ,
President Aquino said that he
had convened a “modified” NSC,
inviting former Presidents Fidel
Ramos and Joseph Estrada,
where they discussed the
Philippines' case against China
before it was filed in the UN
arbitral committee.
Also present were Senate
President Franklin Drilon and
Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr.
Aquino said he also tried to
invite members of the judiciary
“for their inputs” but they
declined, saying the case might
be brought before them.
“Although I am supposed to
be the main architect for foreign
policy, we have tried to get as
many voices from the different
branches of government to have
different perspectives and come
up with the best solution to this
problem,” the President said.
In an interview, Magdalo
Rep. Francisco Ashley Acedillo
also batted for the convening of
the NSC to enable Aquino to
“derive input from his Cabinet,
from his congressional leaders,
and former Presidents.”
“The best time to prepare for
an emerging crisis is before it
happens,” he said. “We should
convene it before any flash point
occurs in the West Philippine
Sea.” Inquirer.net
Carter says US flights, sea missions in Pacific will go on Page 4
May 29-June 4, 2015
Page 4
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Carter says US flights, sea
missions in Pacific will go on
By Lolita Baldor
PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii -Defense Secretary Ash Carter
strongly defended America's
right to fly over artificial islands
that Beijing is building in the
South China Sea, but gave few
hints ahead of a visit to Asia this
week about what the United
States was willing to do to halt
the construction effort.
Carter responded to
Chinese complaints about U.S.
military flights over the projects
by saying, “There should be no
mistake in this, the United
States will fly, sail and operate
wherever international law
allows.”
His comments came in the
wake of a formal Chinese
protest over the flight last week
of a U.S. Navy P-8A Poseidon
surveillance aircraft over Fiery
Cross Reef, where China is
reclaiming land to build an
island. Carter's forceful
message signaled a sharp start
to his 11-day trip that will take
him across the Asia-Pacific
region, with stops in Singapore,
Vietnam and India.
But Carter did little to
clarify what the U.S. is willing to
do - diplomatically or militarily
- to get China to stop the island
construction.
One senior U.S. official said
there are discussions about
conducting more military
flights and patrols in the South
China Sea near the projects.
Officials also are looking at
ways to adjust the military
exercises in the region to
increase U.S. presence there if
needed. The official was not
authorized to discuss the
options publicly and spoke on
condition of anonymity.
One possibility would be for
Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou
US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter. AP
U.S. ships to travel within 12
miles (20 kilometers) of the
artificial islands, to further
make the point that they are not
sovereign Chinese land.
The Navy routinely
conducts surveillance and
other aircraft flights in the AsiaPacific region, but China's
escalating land reclamation
projects have raised concerns
about the country's military
intentions. China further
inflamed tensions Tuesday by
issuing a report that laid out
B e i j i n g ' s m o re a s s e r t ive
national defense posture.
China insists the building is
within its rights and has no
intention of stopping.
Carter, who spoke during a
ceremony Wednesday, May 27,
in Hawaii as Adm. Sam Locklear
turned over leadership of U.S.
Pacific Command to Adm. Harry
Harris, called for an “immediate
and lasting halt” to all land
reclamation projects by any
Pacific nations.
China's building far
outstrips other countries'
efforts, but some, including
Vietnam, also have done some
land reclamation.
While the U.S. has many
disagreements with China, the
two nations have worked to
improve relations in recent
ye a r s t h ro u g h i n c re a s e d
diplomatic and military
contacts.
The Pentagon said in a
recent report that the
construction - estimated at
more than 2,000 acres (800
hectares) - could be used for
military airstrips, naval ports or
to host surveillance systems.
U.S. officials are concerned that
China's land reclamation
projects may be a prelude to
enforcing a possible air defense
identification zone over the
South China Sea, similar to one
it declared over disputed
Japanese-held islands in the
East China Sea in 2013.
The U.S. official said there
are concerns that China is
working to build a perimeter
around the South China Sea so it
potentially can claim the entire
region as its own economic
zone, with rights to all the
n a t u ra l re s o u rc e s t h e re .
Inquirer.net
DFA shrugs off war warnings by Chinese media
By Niña P. Calleja
The Department of Foreign
Affairs (DFA) on Tuesday, May 26,
dismissed warnings in the
Chinese state media of the
inevitability of war should the
United States refuse to back
down from the South China Sea
disputes.
“Any talk of war is unfounded
and irresponsible. Countries
involved in the South China Sea
disputes must strive to settle
their differences in a peaceful
manner and in accordance with
international law including the
United Nations Convention on
the Law of the Sea,” DFA
spokesman Charles Jose said in a
news conference.
In its editorial, a state-run
tabloid, the Global Times, said
C h i n a wa s d e te r m i n e d to
complete its reclamation works
in the South China Sea, but it
must prepare for a conflict with
the United States.
It said “a US-China war is
inevitable” if the United States
wants China to stop its activities.
A US spy plane recently flew
over artificial islands that China
had been building on disputed
waters in the South China Sea.
Washington has said it will
continue its sea and air patrols in
the area. President Aquino has
said that the Philippines will do
the same, according to
international law.
“We don't recognize the
sovereignty of China over these
areas,” Jose said.
Washington's recent actions
in the South China sea are in line
with its policy of “rebalancing to
Asia,” he said.
“The US and other
responsible members of the
international community have a
legitimate interest in what is
happening in the South China
Sea, because at stake right now
are freedom of navigation, the
unimpeded flow of commerce
and the destruction of marine
environment and ecosystem,”
Jose said.
The Philippines has a
pending arbitration case against
China at the Hague-based
arbitral tribunal which sought to
clarify its maritime entitlements.
Oral hearings on the case have
been set for July despite the
refusal of China to participate in
the proceedings.
The Philippines remains true
to its diplomatic approach in
resolving the sea row with China,
Jose said, pointing as an example
to a seminar-workshop it hosted
last week in Makati City on the
implementation of the 2002
Asean-China Declaration on the
Conduct of Parties in the South
China Sea (DOC).
Some 120 officials from the
10-member Association of
Southeast Asian Nations and
China, as well as members from
the academe and policy think
tanks joined the discussions.
One of the topics was “how
provisions of the DOC are to be
operationalized, including … the
nonuse of force and the exercise
of self-restraint among parties to
the dispute,” Jose said.
The results of the gathering
will be reported to the next
meeting of the Asean-China joint
working group, which is tasked
to hold in-depth discussions for
the crafting of the binding code of
conduct in the South China Sea.
Inquirer.net
Taiwan proposes plan to ease
South China Sea tensions
Associated Press
TAIPEI, Taiwan -- Taiwan President
Ma Ying-jeou laid out a plan Tuesday,
May 26, to ease tensions in a vast,
resource-rich Asian ocean where China
has chafed against its neighbors by
expanding islets with landfill to solidify
its claims in the region.
Ma's initiative, announced Tuesday
at an Asia-Pacific researc forum in
Ta i p e i , c a l l s fo r s e t t i n g a s i d e
sovereignty disputes over the South
China Sea and jointly exploring for
resources. Taiwan is also prepared to
join related dialogues and mechanisms
for South China Sea cooperation, the
president said.
Taiwan, China, Brunei, Malaysia,
Vietnam and the Philippines claim all or
parts of the 3.5 million-squarekilometer (1.4 million square-mile)
South China Sea. The ocean ranges from
Taiwan's southern tip southwest to
Singapore.
In recent months China has made
US affirms ...
From page 1
where Beijing has been at loggerheads
with the Philippines and other states in
the region.
Citing Washington's mutual defense
treaty with Manila, Carter “stressed
that the US commitment to defend the
Philippines is ironclad,” the Pentagon
said in a statement.
The meeting came as Carter
embarks on a tour of Asia and amid
rising tensions over Beijing's massive
effort to build artificial islands in the
South China Sea.
Carter and Gazmin “agreed that all
parties involved in the South China Sea
should seek a peaceful resolution of
disputes, immediately halt land
re c l a m a t i o n , a n d s t o p f u r t h e r
militarization of disputed features,” the
statement said.
Manila has said it will keep flying
over disputed areas in the South China
Sea despite Beijing's warnings. And this
month, the Philippines took part in a
groundbreaking naval exercise with
Japan, in a move aimed at countering a
rising China.
Beijing has expanded its land
reclamation work in the South China
other claimants and their common ally
the United States bristle by landfilling
tiny islets, a way to extend its reach. The
tropical sea is rich in oil, natural gas and
fisheries. It also holds international
marine shipping routes.
In a sign of recent tensions, Beijing
filed a formal complaint with the United
States this week after an American spy
plane flew over one islet, and Japan has
pledged to help Vietnam and the
Philippines with defense as China's
presence grows.
But other South China Sea
claimants are unlikely to react openly to
Taiwan's initiative as they lack
diplomatic relations with Ma's
government. China claims sovereignty
over Taiwan itself and uses economic
clout to bar other nations from
exchanges that cast Taiwan as a nation.
In 2012, Ma proposed a peace
initiative for settling disputes in the
East China Sea, which is claimed by his
government as well as China and Japan.
Inquirer.net
Sea at a dramatic pace in recent months,
constructing man-made islands on top
of reefs across a wide area to back up its
territorial claims.
China insists it has a right to control
nearly all of the South China Sea,
including waters near the coasts of the
Philippines, Vietnam and other Asian
neighbors.
The Chinese military last week
ordered a US Navy P-8 Poseidon
surveillance plane to leave an area
above the disputed Spratly islands in
the South China Sea. But the American
aircraft ignored the demand and said it
was flying in what US officials consider
international airspace.
After his stop in Hawaii, Carter is
due to visit Singapore, Vietnam and
India in his second tour of the region
since taking over at the Pentagon in
February.
“Over the next 10 days, Carter will
reaffirm the US rebalance to the AsiaPacific,” Pentagon spokesman Colonel
Steven Warren said.
Washington has deployed more
ships and aircraft to the Asia-Pacific
region in the past two years and tried to
strengthen its ties to partners in the
area as part of its “rebalance” to Asia,
which comes as a response to China's
growing military might. Inquirer.net
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May 29-June 4, 2015
Page 5
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Binay forms search body
to find his running mate
By Christine O. Avendaño and
Nathaniel R. Melican
Vice President Jejomar Binay on
Wednesday, May 27, said his party had
formed a committee to look for a vice
presidential running mate for him in
next year's presidential election.
Binay told reporters that Navotas
Rep. Toby Tiangco, interim president
of the United Nationalist Alliance
(UNA), was the head of the committee,
which would also look for senatorial
candidates for the opposition party.
Binay said the search committee
would lay down the qualifications for
his running mate.
UNA has been reported
Roxas to Poe ...
From page 1
Wednesday, May 27, when asked if
Roxas had asked her to be his running
mate.
While she could not say whether
Roxas' statement was a formal offer, she
said she thought it was “more than just
feelers.”
“I think it's clear. He is ready,” she
added, referring to Roxas' statement on
Tuesday that he was ready to continue
President Aquino's anticorruption
campaign.
Aquino said on Monday, May 25,
that Roxas was on the top of the list of
the administration's candidates in the
2016 elections.
Roxas, however, is lagging behind
Vice President Jejomar Binay and Poe in
the presidential polls, and many allies of
Aquino have suggested that Poe run for
President to give the administration a
better chance of winning the elections.
But many LP members want Roxas
to be their standard-bearer with Poe as
his vice presidential running mate.
Poe said, however, that she had yet
to decide whether to join Roxas in his
run for Malacañang.
She said she had told Roxas that
while there were things they had in
common, such as the desire to continue
the fight against corruption, she also
had views that differed from his in other
matters.
Poe said there were things that she
believed the Aquino administration had
failed to do.
“It seems many of our poor
countrymen have been neglected,” she
said, mentioning one of what she
thought were the Aquino
administration's failures.
Poe said her friendship with Roxas
would not be the only basis of her
decision.
“You have to have the same views on
things and trust in each other before
considering the popular Sen. Grace Poe
as running mate for Binay, but Poe, an
emerging presidential candidate, has
rejected teaming up with the Vice
President, who is under investigation
by the Senate and the Office of the
Ombudsman for alleged corruption
during his tenure as mayor of Makati
City.
There have also been reports that
UNA is considering the tough-taking
mayor of Davao City, Rodrigo Duterte,
as a running mate for Binay. But
Duterte has also declined to run with
Binay.
The Vice President spoke to
reporters after the opening of the
u Page 6
[making a decision],” she said.
Poe said she last spoke with Roxas
last week, after they unexpectedly
bumped into each other in a restaurant.
Independent is better
Poe also said she appreciated the
benefits of being an independent.
She ran as an independent in 2013,
but was taken in as a guest candidate of
the administration in the senatorial
election. She topped the race for the
Senate.
“For me, there are a lot of benefits to
being independent. We need to remind
ourselves that our loyalty should be to
the people who elected us and not to
one party. So for me, it's easier if you are
free to make decisions not based on the
dictates of one party, but based on your
conscience,” she said.
Poe also said she and Sen. Francis
Escudero, with whom she has close ties,
were also discussing plans for 2016, but
she would not say whether the talks
were serious.
That does not mean, however, that
she has made a commitment, she said.
In the first place, she said, she has
not decided whether to run for higher
office.
“I have not reached that point, so it
does not mean that my talking to
someone indicates that [I have
committed to run with that candidate],”
she said.
Support from Escudero
Escudero, for his part, promised to
support Poe, whatever her decision
would be.
“I've already told Senator Poe that
whatever her decision, I will always be
behind her, giving the same support and
assistance I gave to her late father,”
Escudero said.
Escudero served as the spokesman
for Poe's father, the late movie actor
Fernando Poe Jr., who unsuccessfully
ran for President in 2004. Inquirer.net
Poe: Country needs
more women leaders
By Maila Ager
Senator Grace Poe believes
that women can be effective
leaders in public service.
“Naniniwala akong may
mahalagang nadadala ang
pagiging babae sa pamumuno,”
Poe, who is being pushed to run
for a higher post, said when she
spoke at the Avon Sales Leader
Conference held at the
Philippine International
Convention Center (PICC) in
Pasay City on Thursday.
“Bilang mga babae, iba ang
pag-unawa natin sa mga isyung
nakakaapekto sa buhay ng mga
kababaihan at ng mga bata. Iba
a n g p a g - u n awa n a t i n a t
pagdama sa mga usapin lalo na
iyong mga may kinalaman sa
interes ng ating publiko. Ito ang
dahilan kung bakit kailangan
natin ng mas maraming babae
sa posisyon ng pamumuno sa
ating bansa,” she said.
Poe noted that 48% of
people in decision-making
positions in the country are
women - six out of 24 senators
are female, while 60 women
representatives sit in the 16th
Congress out of the 234.
“So although there are
many women public officials,
they are still the minority,” she
said.
“Sa palagay ko po,
kailangan natin ng mas marami
pang kabaro natin hindi
lamang sa ating pamahalaan,
kundi sa liderato ng mga
kumpanya at iba pang sektor.
Kung gusto nating itaguyod ang
kapakanan ng mga kababaihan
at ng ating kabataan, kailangan
nating maglagay ng kakatawan
sa atin sa mga posisyong
krusyal sa ating lipunan.”
“Magkaiba ang karanasan
ng kalalakihan at kababaihan,
at mahalagang kapwa sila nasa
posisyon ng kapangyarihan at
impluwensiya para mabigyan
ng konsiderasyon sa proseso
ng pagpapasya at pagbubuo ng
polisiya ang kanilang
kakaibang kalagayan,” she
further said.
Poe also cited a survey
conducted among members of
the Inter-Parliamentary Union,
an association of
parliamentarians around the
world, which showed that
female legislators prioritize
social issues such as child care,
equal pay; physical concerns
such as reproductive rights,
physical safety and genderbased violence; and
development matters such as
poverty alleviation and service
delivery.
Since assuming office in
2013, the senator said she has
already filed a number of
legislation for the benefit of
women and children, including
the Anti-Discrimination Act of
2014.
Under this bill,
discriminatory acts, such as
inflicting stigma; denying of
education; denying political,
civil, and cultural rights,
including the right to organize;
inflicting harm on health and
well-being are strictly
prohibited and will be meted
with appropriate penalties.
Discrimination under this bill
refers to those made because of
race, ethnicity, and other
status, including gender.
She also filed a bill called
the First 1,000 Days which
recognizes the need for
adequate nutrition of mothers
and children in their first one
thousand days. The bill seeks to
establish a mother and child
health care program in every
barangay and complements
Poe's proposed Sustansya sa
Batang Pilipino, which seeks to
establish a school-based
feeding program for children.
Poe has also called for an
investigation into the
proliferation of cybersex dens
that prey on children and
women and an inquiry on the
condition of women detainees
and prisoners. Inquirer.net
May 29-June 4, 2015
Page 6
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Treason, inciting to sedition
raps filed vs PH peace panel,
MILF over BBL
By Tetch Torres-Tupas
The allegedly overpriced Makati City Hall Building II. Inset Vice President Binay (left) and his son Makati
Mayor Junjun Binay. Inquirer file photos
Draft Senate report backs
plunder raps vs Binays
By Nancy C. Carvajal and Leila B.
Salaverria
“There was a grand
conspiracy to milk the
construction of the Makati City
Hall [Building II] for every peso
that it could yield through
massive, unconscionable
overpricing,” the Senate blue
ribbon subcommittee
investigating allegations of
corruption against Vice
President Jejomar Binay said in
its partial report.
The subcommittee headed by
Sen. Aquilino Pimentel III has
recommended the filing of
plunder charges against Binay
and his son, Makati Mayor
Jejomar Erwin “Junjun” Binay, for
irregularities in the construction
of the building, which is allegedly
overpriced at P2.3 billion.
Also recommended charged
were the members of Makati
City's bids and awards committee
(BAC), Hilmarc's Construction
Corp. president Robert Henson,
board chair Efren Canlas, Mana
Architecture and Interior Design
Co. owner Orlando M. Mateo and
the Vice President's longtime
aides Gerardo “Gerry” Limlingan
and Eduviges “Ebeng” Baloloy.
The Inquirer obtained a copy
of the subcommittee's draft
report.
Aside from plunder, the
subcommittee also
recommended the filing of graft
charges and charges of violating
the government procurement
law against Binay and the Makati
City officials.
A Senate source said he had
seen the 46-page draft report
prepared by Pimentel, which
would be submitted for approval
to Sen. Teofisto Guingona III,
head of the blue ribbon
committee.
The report has to be signed by
Guingona before it can be
released. Pimentel said the
report needed the majority vote
of the 17-member blue ribbon
committee for it to be adopted as
its official report. So far, four
senators have signed the report.
The subcommittee has
conducted 21 hearings into
corruption allegations
surrounding the construction of
Makati City Hall Building II,
allegedly the “most expensive
parking building” in the country.
The other members of
Pimentel's subcommittee are
Senators Antonio Trillanes IV
and Alan Peter Cayetano.
Pimentel, Trillanes, Cayetano
and his sister Sen. Pia Cayetano
have signed the report, according
to the Senate source.
Re a c h e d f o r c o m m e n t ,
Pimentel declined to confirm or
d e n y t h e s u b c o m m i t t e e' s
recommendations against the
Binays and the others.
Others to be charged
The others recommended
charged were BAC chair Marjorie
de Veyra, BAC members Lorenza
Amores, Gerardo K. San Gabriel,
Pio Kenneth Dasal and Ulysses E.
Orienza.
The subcommittee also
recommended further
investigation against
Commission on Audit (COA)
auditors Cecilia Caga-anan, Flora
M. Ruiz, Cecilio Pineda, Roldan L.
Menciano, Ricardo R. Custodio,
Allan S. Florentino, Zaldy B.
Lavarro, Winiefredo L.Paquera
and Rosalina H. Prestoza.
A l s o re c o m m e n d e d fo r
further investigation were
businessman Antonio Tiu and
Laureano R. Gregorio Jr.
“In the opinion of the
subcommittee, all the elements
of the crime of plunder have been
clearly alleged and substantiated
through the unequivocal and
straightforward assertions of the
witnesses who appeared before
the subcommittee during the
hearings as well as from the
documents already in the
possession of the subcommittee,”
the report said.
u Page 8
A complaint for treason and
inciting to sedition has been filed
before the Manila Prosecutors Office
against officials and members of the
government peace panel and the
Moro Islamic Liberation Front
(MILF) for pushing for the passage
of the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL).
Named in the complaint are
Government of the Philippines
(GPH) negotiating panel chair
Miriam Coronel-Ferrer, former GPH
chairman Marvic Leonen who is
currently an Associate Justice of the
Supreme Court, GPH negotiating
panel members Senen C. Bacani,
Yasmin Busran-Lao, Mehol K.
Sadain, former GPH panel
consultant Zenonida Brosas.
Presidential Adviser on the Peace
Process Teresita Quintos Deles is
also included in the complaint.
Also included as respondent in
Binay forms ...
From page 5
National Housing Summit in
Barangay (village) Ugong,
Valenzuela City.
Binay said he did not mind the
entry of Interior Secretary Mar
Roxas into the 2016 presidential
race.
“Having more candidates for the
presidency will give the public the
opportunity to select,” Binay said.
Roxas, after receiving praise
from President Aquino, said on
Tuesday that he was ready to
continue the good government
program of the administration.
Aquino on Monday said Roxas
re m a i n e d a t t h e to p o f t h e
administration's list of candidates,
but did not announce that Roxas was
his candidate for President.
UNA to launch party
The search for candidates begins
as UNA prepares to launch as a
political party. Sen. Nancy Binay, who
attended the housing summit with
her father, said the party was likely to
be launched by July.
Vice President Binay also
confirmed that UNA was in talks with
former President Gloria MacapagalArroyo's Lakas party for a coalition.
Binay shrugged off suggestions
that his party's alliance with Lakas
would be a “kiss of death.”
“Election is always about votes.
One voter means an additional vote,”
he said.
No problem
Tiangco said in a phone
interview that Binay had not asked
either Poe or Duterte to be his vice
presidential running mate.
What Binay had said was that he
was “considering” Poe or Duterte as
a possible running mate, according
to Tiangco.
Tiangco also shrugged off the
suggestion that Binay was having a
problem finding a running mate.
“If ever, it will not be his problem.
It's the assignment of the search
committee,” Tiangco said.
So far, there have been no serious
talks with any possible vice
presidential candidate, he added.
the complaint are MILF negotiating
panel chair and the Transition
Commission Mohagher Iqbal and
members Datu Michael Mastura,
Maulana Alonto, Abdulla Camilian,
alternate negotiating panel member
Datu Antonio Kino, Transition
Commission members Ibrahim Ali,
Talib Abdulhamid Benito, Pedrito
Eisma, Raissa Jajurie, Froilyn
Mendoza, Hussein Muñoz, Akmad
Sakkam, Said Shiek, Asani
Tammang, Timuay Melanio Ulama
and Johaira Wahab.
Complainants include Buhay
Re p . J o s e At i e n z a , A b a k a d a
Representative Jonathan dela Cruz
and Atty. Jeremy Gatdula.
The House Ad Hoc Committee
on the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL)
has already approved the measure
that will formalize the creation of a
new political entity to replace the
existing Autonomous Region in
u Page 7
September deadline
Tiangco said the search
committee would give itself a
September deadline to come up with
a short list of vice presidential and
senatorial candidates for Binay's
consideration.
He said Binay would want
possible running mates to be, among
other qualifications, open to working
for the welfare of overseas Filipino
workers and the poor, whom the Vice
President wanted to be given access
to free public education, free
hospitalization, among other
benefits.
In a separate talk with reporters,
Tiangco mentioned as possible
senatorial candidates Manila Vice
Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno”
Domagoso and boxing icon Manny
Pacquiao.
He said Binay had been talking
with former Sen. Panfilo Lacson.
Lunch with Erap
Binay, his daughter Nancy, son
Makati Mayor Jejomar Erwin Binay,
and Tiangco had lunch with Manila
Mayor Joseph Estrada on
Wednesday.
The Vice President, however,
declined to say what had been
discussed during the lunch with the
former President of the Philippines
at Manila City Hall.
“It was all friendly talk,” Binay
told reporters outside Estrada's
office. “It's been quite a while since I
last visited Erap so I missed his
jokes,” he added, using Estrada's
nickname.
Binay said politics was
mentioned only once and it was
about the UNA selection committee.
Estrada was more forthcoming
in discussing his two-hour lunch
with the Binays with reporters.
“We talked about ER Ejercito (the
ousted governor of Laguna
province), how he was the only
politician in the country to be
charged and found guilty of
[electoral] overspending,” Estrada
said. “Elections, we also talked about
that. Just preparing how to counter,
just to read the next elections,” he
said. Asked to elaborate, Estrada
replied: “Why would we do that? The
c o m p e t i t i o n w o u l d k n o w.”
Inquirer.net
May 29-June 4, 2015
Page 7
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
BBL puts country in
'no-win' situation, says
former SC chief
By Tetch Torres-Tupas
The Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL)
has put the country in a “no win”
situation and instead of bringing peace,
it could lead to a crisis and tear the
nation apart, retired Chief Justice
Reynato Puno warned the government
Thursday, May 28.
“Regardless of the outcome, the BBL
cannot guarantee peace in Mindanao,”
Puno said in a statement.
Puno, a former voice of judicial
activism and an advocate for a review of
the 1987 Constitution, said the country
should instead push for a change in the
political system to provide the
f ra m e w o r k f o r t h e e nv i s i o n e d
Bangsamoro government.
He said if the BBL is passed, it would
be questioned before the Supreme
Court. If declared unconstitutional, it
could put the Moro Islamic Liberation
Front (MILF) in a dilemma.
“The other possibility is that it will
be passed, and assuming that it survives
the constitutional challenge, the
question is, will that bring peace in
Mindanao?” he asked.
Pointing out that the peace process
and BBL are not inclusive of all
stakeholders in Mindanao, Puno said
the prospect of lasting peace is not
certain. Many other groups feel they
were excluded, he said. “You could have
disorder in Mindanao, especially with
the presence of different groups with
different agendas, including radical
ones,” he said.
He added that the BBL could inspire
other groups in other regions to
demand similar treatment and
privileges accorded to the MILF which
could mean “you will have problems
Treason ...
From page 6
Muslim Mindanao (ARMM). The new
measure is now known as the Basic Law
for the Bangsamoro Autonomous
Region.
The complainants said BBL has
usurped the power of Congress to enact
laws as it attributes to the Bangsamoro
instead of Congress as the author,
promoter of the BBL. In effect,
complainants said it gives the
Bangsamoro people not only the
autonomy as a local unit but its
independence.
“The proposed BBL, in its entirety,
promotes the eventual selfdetermination of the Bangsamoro
political entity, which violates the
sovereign of the Republic of the
Philippines,” complainant lawmakers
said.
Citing a Supreme Court ruling, the
complainants pointed out that “no subgroup within the Philippines is entitled
to self-determination. Despite this
ruling, the respondents still chose to
include the sovereign concept of “selfdetermination” in the BBL. Such
persistence is a clear sign of intent to
incite others to secede.”
Complainant lawmakers added that
the asymmetric relation between the
Bangsamoro Government and the
National Government has caused the
curtailment of the power of the
throughout the country.”
If the system is changed by
“reallocating and rebalancing the power
of government,” such problem could be
addressed, Puno said.
Puno said the problem is about
balance of power - between the national
government and Muslim Mindanao,
between the national government and
local government units, between the
three branches of government, even the
powers of the constitutional
commissions.
“A simple law like BBL cannot
address this problem,” Puno pointed out,
adding that the maximum that can be
given under a law is autonomy, as
provided for in the Constitution.
“We have already tried that with the
Au t o n o m o u s Re g i o n i n M u s l i m
Mindanao, yet it failed,” he said.
He added that the government
cannot just give one group or region
extra powers without taking into
a c c o u n t t h e e n t i re g ove r n m e n t
structure.
He said this is why revision of the
1987 Constitution is necessary so that
“we can have a smooth transition” to a
system that will solve this problem.
Puno is set to lead a movement that
will ask the President and Congress to
call for a Constitutional Convention to
propose amendments to or revisions of
the 1987 Constitution - with the
delegates to be elected simultaneous
with the 2016 presidential elections.
Puno said a review of the 1987
Constitution should have been done
years ago. “Matagal na dapat,” he said,
adding that “BBL is a wake-up call for us
to address the country's problems by reexamining the whole Constitution.”
Inquirer.net
executive branch of the government.
Some of the powers given to the
Bangsamoro government that were
supposed to be for the national
government only include:
* Power to appoint
* Creation of a Bangsamoro
Commission on Audit and Shari'ah
Supreme Court. The Constitution
only allows one Supreme Court
and one Commission on Audit.
* Allows the Bangsamoro
Parliament to create provinces
and cities
* Taxing powers despite absence of
guidelines and limitations from
Congress.
“The respondents' strategy for
inciting sedition or treason is
comprehensive…The respondents also
incite people to strip away the
superiority of the National Government
a n d t o p r e v e n t t h e e xe c u t i v e
department to freely exercise its power
as provided by the Constitution,” the
complaint stated.
“The acts of the Respondents, in
executing the Framework Agreement
and in proposing the BBL also
effectively aided the MILF armed forces
to successfully assert their existence as
a separate and independence state.
Therefore, the respondents must be
held liable for the crime of treason as
punished under the Revised Penal
C o d e ,” t h e c o m p l a i n t a d d e d .
Inquirer.net
PH, other vulnerable countries propose
10-point climate action plan in Asia
By Kristine Angeli Sabillo
A group of countries
vulnerable to climate change
has proposed a 10-point action
plan to improve Asia's
response to the global issue.
The Climate Vulnerable
Forum (CVF), a group of 20
countries currently chaired by
the Philippines, held its Asia
meeting last May 20 to 21
attended by Cambodia,
Mongolia, Myanmar, Pakistan,
Papua New Guinea, Tajikistan
and member states
Afghanistan, Bangladesh,
Maldives, Philippines, TimorLeste, and Vietnam.
T h e f o l l o w i n g
recommendations, released on
Wednesday, May 27, during the
st
run-up to the 21 Conference of
the Parties (COP21) to the
United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change,
aim to improve efforts in the
national, regional and global
levels:
1. Strong national
coordination among
institutions and departments
as well as vertically within
national structures and at the
different governance levels
2. Mobilization of
community and civil society in
climate action and knowledge
exchange between
governments, experts and
communities
3 . Re i n fo rc e n a t i o n a l
institutional capacity and
human resources for realizing
climate action
4. Increased transfer,
exchange and diffusion of
technologies and expertise
between and among developed
and developing countries and
South-South
5. Enhanced balance,
access to, and coordination of,
international climate finance,
and institutional capacity for
national and international
financial responses to climate
change
6. Greater regional
cooperation and coordination
(knowledge sharing,
information management,
te c h n o l o g y t ra n s fe r a n d
development, policies)
7 .
P r o m o t i n g
understanding and awareness
among communities and the
p r iva te s e c to r i n c l u d i n g
through an enhanced role of
the media
8. Providing more effective
enabling conditions for greater
private sector engagement in
driving climate action
9. Accelerate climate-smart
industrial development
essential for diversifying
vulnerable sectors of
economies
1 0 .
E n h a n c e d
i n f ra s t r u c t u r e , r e s e a r c h
funding, and capacity for
hydro-met and socio-economic
data and scenarios for more
accurate and robust policymaking
The recommendations will
be presented in Bonn, Germany
next month for the CVF's global
consultation for its roadmap.
Secretary Lucille Sering,
vice chairperson of the Climate
Change Commission (CCC),
said it is important for
vulnerable countries to work
together.
u Page 8
May 29-June 4, 2015
Page 8
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Draft Senate report ...
From page 6
Secretary Lucille Sering at the Asia meeting of the Climate Vulnerable
Forum held in Manila. (Contributed photo)
PH, other
vulnerable ...
From page 7
“We want to improve our capacity
because nobody else understands our
situation more than ourselves. This is also
why with Philippines as the Chair this
year, we would like to push for the
creation of the new South-South Centre of
Excellence,” she said in a statement.
The CCC, which is under the Office of
the President, organized the recent CVF
meeting held in Manila.
U n i t e d N a t i o n s D e ve l o p m e n t
Program Country Director Titon Mitra
said the CVF, as well as its set of
recommendations for Asia, showcased
the region's potential to link regional and
global agendas “for greater impact.”
The Philippines' chairmanship of the
CVF coincides with the much anticipated
COP21 in Paris, France later in the year.
The COP21 hopes to clinch a legally
binding agreement on climate change,
specifically on the reduction of
greenhouse gas emissions to limit the
global temperature rise to 2 degrees
Celsius above pre-industrial levels.
Inquirer.net
Binay failed to respond
The report also said Binay was afforded all the
opportunity by the subcommittee to give his side or
present countervailing evidence in his favor, which he
did not take advantage of.
“In fact he was formally invited to the hearing of Nov.
6, 2014, and he did not appear. Binay has summarily
dismissed all of the subcommittee proceedings as
'politics,'” the report said.
Copies of the report, it said, will be given to the Office
of the President, COA, Office of the Ombudsman,
Department of Justice, Department of Agrarian Reform,
Department of Public Works and Highways, and the
Government Procurement Policy Board.
The report also stated that while former Makati Vice
Mayor Ernesto Mercado and City Engineer Mario U.
Hechanova admitted to have participated in the
conspiracy to commit plunder, no charges have been
recommended against them, as they have been placed in
the Witness Protection Program as recommended by the
subcommittee itself.
The Makati City Hall Building II was built in 2007
when Binay was Makati mayor. It was completed in 2013
during the term of his son.
The subcommittee recommended charges against
Binay for his involvement in phases 1 to 3 of the
building's construction and his role in the kickback
system.
It recommended charges against Mayor Binay for his
role in phases 4 and 5 of the construction.
'Elements of plunder'
The Senate source said there were “elements of
plunder” in the case, as it involved an amount of more
than P50 million and a “series of acts” that involved
government contracts.
In an interview Thursday night, Cayetano said the
facts and evidence pointed to “collusion, whether
antigraft or plunder,” in the overpricing of the building's
construction.
“There was conspiracy there,” Cayetano said.
Inquirer.net
Filipino in NY
sues PAL ... From page 1
representatives picked them up the next
day, which prompted her transfer to
another hotel.
“The next day Darilag waited for the
afternoon flight after being told the
morning flight was fully booked, the
lawsuit states. Those plans fell through
as well since the afternoon flight - which
was the same plane she exited from the
previous day - was again grounded for
mechanical problems,” the report
added.
A c c o r d i n g t o D a r i l a g , PA L
reportedly issued flight transfers, but
these were not approved by other
airlines because “they were not properly
filled out and lacked validation stamps
by PAL employees.”
She added that PAL agents and
ground staff were not around to
accommodate the needs of the
passengers.
The report quoted a May 20 PAL
statement, which was sent through email by a representative named Maria
Cielo.
“We empathize with the passengers
knowing fully well the inconvenience of
the extended stay due to the grounding.
But safety remains a priority,” Cielo said,
adding that the grounding was due to a
“maintenance check.”
“Darilag's attorney and media
representatives from Philippines
Airlines could not be reached for
comment,” the report added.
After an 18-year hiatus, PAL revived
its Manila-New York flights in March
after being removed from the air safety
blacklist of the US Federal Aviation
Administration. Inquirer.net
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May 29-June 4, 2015
Page 9
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Big names in PH entertainment, Politicos,
PAL execs in PIDCI celebration June 7
At the onset of the hectic
preparations for the biggest
Philippine Independence
Celebration outside of the
Philippines, the PIDCI organizers
and the Philippine Consulate
General in NY have been on the go
the past week and these remaining
10 days, for lack of better words,
24/7 entertaining calls, emails, IMs,
texts that have been pouring in from
the PH and NY for their
participation in the Parade, St. Fair
and Cultural Festival.
The Philippine Independence
Day Celebration in New York City
have been attracting more and more
PH politicians who have been
juggling their PH commitments to
properly represent their towns and
our government.
Adding to the list of confirmed
dignitaries headed by His
Excellency Philippine Ambassador
to the United States Jose Cuisia Jr.,
Philippine Ambassador to the
United Nations Lourdes
Yparaguirre, Consul General Mario
De Leon Jr., Presidential Adviser and
Secretary of the Environmental
Protection Neric Acosta are the
distinguished Mayors of the
following Cities: promoting our
Philippine Pride, Vigan City, as the
newly proclaimed, 7 Wonder Cities
of the World, representing Ilocos
Governor Ryan Luis Singson, is his
wife, Mrs. Patricia Angelique S.
Singson; Mayor of Angeles City, Atty.
Edgardo D. Pamintuan; Mayor of
Quezon City, Herbett M. Bautista;
and Mayor of Bacolod City, Monico
O. Puentevella, who will be joined by
the Councilor of Bacolod City, Em
Legaspi-Ang (Chairperson,
Committee on History, Arts &
Culture).
Recent confirmation from NY
Officials include Hon. Lorna G.
Schofield U.S. District Judge
(Southern District Court, NY) who
has graced the event the past few
years; and Hon. Grace Meng,
th
Congresswoman, 6 District, NY
who was the Guest Speaker at the
Grand Marshal Gala at Leonard's
Palazzo, Great Neck NY in honor of
Grand Marshal Reuben S. Seguritan.
From New Jersey, we proudly
have received confirmation from
the Fil-Am's “FAV 4” young-rising
politicians lead by Jersey City
Councilman/President of the J.C.
Council Rolando Lavarro, Jr.;
Bergenfield Councilman Atty. Arvin
Amatorio; Mahwah Councilman
Jonathan Wong; West Windsor
Councilman Peter Mendonez, Jr.
A n d p o s s i b le a t te n d a n c e o f
Candidate for Union Council Justin
Verzosa (son of Community Leader
and Knights of Rizal Chapter
Commander Paul Verzosa).
It is most noteworthy that the
regional groups in the Tri-State area
have been making every effort to
make their Parade participation
bigger and better every year to
showcase their rich culture,
traditions and festivals. As the
Filipinos and Filipino-Americans
have made the U.S. their second
home, though they leave their
hometowns, one of their best
contributions to the motherland
can be seen by how these groups
instill awareness and proudly
promote their culture to the Second
Generation and to mainstream
America by getting a glimpse of
their beautiful provinces and its
peoples.
Each year a good example of
these groups are the colorful,
vibrant Bacolod Maskarra NY
Edition (NY Parade's winning
contingent the last three years),
contingent lead by its President
Maria Imelda Gargarita and Ms.
Brigid Tan (chairperson/liaison to
the PH Consulate) who work hard to
also get the support of their local
officials and joining them as well is
Ms. Thelma Watanabe, (Over-all
Traning Coordinator of OISCA Bago
Training Center/ President of
Negros Silk Producers Association.
OISCA is the Organization for
Industrial, Spiritual & Cultural
Advancement - International, a
Japanese Non Governmental
Organization, extending help to
developing countries especially in
agriculture).
Other regional groups who have
been excelling in showcasing their
culture and traditions are the
Kinding Sindaw Melayu Heritage,
Aklan Intl, the Bukidnon Group.
BIBAK, and the famed Dinagyang
Festival of Iloilo who had a big
participation the recent years
courtesy of the Dept. of Tourism, but
had been represented by local
OFFICIAL SPONSOR:
Philippine Airlines
SUPPORTING SPONSORS:
PLDT/Smart/Smart World
Mobile/Sun Cellular
BASIC SPONSORS:
SMDC
Crossings TV (Ch1519)
Western Union
Ramar Food International
Five Chris Catering
BENEFACTORS:
Fritzie's Bake Shop
Fiesta Grill
AARP
PATRONS:
Transfast
DirecTV/Santos Enterprises
Doty's Restaurant
MEDIA SPONSORS:
Kapatid 5
MPE and all Print and
Social Media Outlets
Groups here last year and this year
as well. And PIDCI applaudes
various Fil-Am Organizations
(which are too many to mention)
who have also been doing their part
to adopt a festival, a tradition, a
cultural dance and teaching their
children the values of knowing our
history and culture and making
them participate in our
Independence Celebration.
In the entertainment arena, the
Event's Official Sponsor, The
Philippine Airlines, has recently
announced the attendance of one of
their top headliners to promote
their most recent launch in NY.
Heart throb Alexander Xian Cruz
Lim Uy also known as “Xian Lim”
(Chinese Filipino actor, model
singer) of Star Magic will be riding
the PAL Float and performing at the
Cultural Festival. Adding luster to
PAL's promotions is international
jazz vocalist, Kevyn Lettau (famous
for "Sunlight", "Bridges/Travessia")
who will be singing the PAL Jingle.
Kevyn has her big following in
Manila's jazz aficionados when she
started out doing PH performances
with renowned Sergio Mendez the
past decade.
The growing list of nostalgic
performers now extends to the
S i n g i n g / M ov i e S t a r t u r n e d preacher / “Elvis Presley of the
Philippines” - Eddie Mesa (Eduardo
Eigenmann) with his wife veteran
Actress Rosemarie Gil have will
make a special appearance on Stage.
It will be a big family reunion in NY
for them as their children, thespian
Actors/Performers Michael de
Mesa and Cherrie Gil will be the
Parade's Masters of Ceremony this
th
June 7 !
Juan Carlos “JC” Bonnin, the
popular Filipino matinee idol in the
1980s, best remembered for his
roles in the movies Bagets, Ninja
Kids, and Kamagong will now be
able to re-unite and join his fellow
“Bagets” star Quezon City Mayor
“Herbie” Bautista, as they cruise
down Madison Avenue and be
presented on Stage.
We invite all to also visit TV5's
Booths and catch the game portion
at the Stage with multi-talented
Giselle “G” Töngi, Filipino-American
Actress, Dance Diva, Singer, new
host and producer of locally
produced Filipino talk show,
Kababayan Today with G Töngi".
KSCI-TV LA18 (Los Angeles' #1
Asian TV station). They will be
giving cash prizes on both locations.
We also have the special
participation of new teen singing
sensation Ms. Gail Banawis, fresh
from the Manny Pacquiao
showdown; and local bands “Take
The Stage, Otan Vargas Band; with
renditions from Monica Meares
(Diwa ng Kalayaan 2009),
“Edmerald'. Cultural performances
will be performed by the childen's
workshops taught by Ms. Joyelle
Cabato for The Filipino School of
NY/NJ and Venessa Manzano for
SIPAG (S.I.) as part of PIDCI's
mission to encourage Filipino and
Fil-Am children to always
vgslaw@gmail.com
remember their heritage. Virgie
Alvarez' and group will also be
doing a special “Jota” Spanish
Dance; with the Kinding Sindaw
Melayu Heritage performance
representing the culture and
heritage of Southern Mindanao. A
special lyrical dance will also be
showcased based on this year's
theme: "The Filipino: An Active
Partner in Environmental and
Climate Change Governance."
T h e P I D C I P r e s i d e n t Fe
Martinez, Board Members,
E xe c u t ive Te a m , C o m m i t t e e
Chairpersons invite you all to come
th
out to the BIG APPLE on June 7 to
th
celebrate our 117 Philippine
Independence Day in your best
Philippine attire and march as
proud Filipinos in the land we now
call home… join this year's starstudded Grand Celebration
including Homegrown 5'11”
Bb.PIlipinas Intercontinental 2015
Christi Lynn Landrito McGarry,
Kundiman Queen Sylvia La Torre &
her granddaughter Broadway star/
Disney artist Anna Maria Perez de
Ta g l e , m u l t i - awa rd e d
actor/director Cesar Montano,
legendary Pinoy folk rock singersongwriter superstar Florante, popicon quintessential balladeer
N o n oy Z u n i g a , O P M
Singer/Dancer/Performer Jam
Morales, dancer/actor/musician/
percussionist/choreographer Gab
Valenciano, premiere Fil-Am standup comedian Rex Navarette, Fil-Am
jazz drummer/singer Mon David,
NBC's The Voice semi-finalist
pop/R&B singer Cheesa, “Pinoy Big
Brother” housemate actor/model
Ivan Dorschner.
Parade Kicks-off: Noontime,
June 7th, Sunday, along Madison Ave
from 38th Street to 27st.; St. Fair
10am-6pm (26th-24th Sts) and
Cultural Festival from 2pm-6pm at
23rd St., NYC.
Yo u m ay c o n t a c t Pa ra d e
Chairpersons Nonoy Rafael and
Antero Martinez; and Street Fair
Chairpersons Tambi Wycoco and
Gheng Pingol for details, any info at
info@pidci.org.
Or please come to the last
Community Meeting on June 4th,
7pm, Kalayaan Hall, Phil Center, 5th
th
th
Ave, (between 45 and 46 Streets)
NYC.
May 29-June 4, 2015
Page 10
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
A yearly problem
For parents of school-age youngsters, June, when school
opens, is the cruelest month.
Education is a fundamental part of the Filipino dream, but the
yearly rise in tuition and other school fees has transformed that
dream into a seasonal nightmare.
In fact, the absence of a government cap on the tuitionincrease rate led several preneed companies straight into
bankruptcy and left their clients in the lurch. The unpredictable
increases wrought havoc on the companies' actuarial estimates
and business projections, and shattered the dreams of thousands
of parents who found their children's college plans suddenly
worthless.
This school year's version of that cavalier government policy
is the Department of Education's recent approval of tuition
increase in 1,246 private schools from the kindergarten to high
school levels, with the requested increase ranging from 1.25 to
29 percent.
The news comes just over a week after the Commission on
Higher Education (CHEd) allowed 313 private universities and
colleges to raise tuition and other school fees by an average of
6.48 percent in the coming school year.
For tuition alone, the average increase approved by the CHEd
is 6.17 percent, or P29.86 per unit; for other school fees, the
average increase is 6.55 percent or P135.60.
It gives some parents small comfort to know that these
figures are lower compared to last year's increase of P35.66 per
unit, or 8.13 percent, for tuition, and P141.55, or 7.97 percent, for
other school fees.
The CHEd said it balanced the school's need to survive with
the parents' capacity to pay, and approved the increase in fees by
taking into account certain factors such as the inflation rate, the
school's financial standing, the financial capacity of most
students, the school's track record in quality education,
consultation with parents and students, and the impact of
calamities. That last consideration explains why Region 8, or
Eastern Visayas, the region hardest hit by Supertyphoon
“Yolanda” in 2013, was spared the increase.
Meanwhile, the DepEd cited its 2010 revised manual of
regulations for private schools to explain why it allowed the
increase. Aside from submitting financial statements, tax returns
and other documents, schools applying for a tuition increase
must also make sure that 70 percent of the projected increase
would go to the salaries of teaching and nonteaching personnel.
The rest of the increase must be used to improve school
facilities, student assistance and extension services, with the
expected return of investment well within 12 percent of the
proposed hike, according to the DepEd manual.
But the questions beg to be asked: Do tuition increases
actually go where they should? Who's checking that those 313
colleges and universities, as well as the 1,246 private schools are
following the DepEd guidelines?
Given that more and more private-school teachers are
transferring to public schools to get better pay, one wonders if
indeed 70 percent of that almost-yearly increase finds its way to
where it should. Or are the increases simply lining the pockets of
school owners? Who's to know, right?
Certainly, like most businesses, schools need a healthy profit
margin for investors to keep them going. But surely, more than
just a business enterprise, private schools are a valuable partner
u Page 12
USCIS Begins Accepting H-4
Work Permit Applications
The United States Citizenship
and Immigration Services (USCIS)
is now accepting work permit
applications of certain H-4 spouses
of H-1B non-immigrants who are in
the process of obtaining green
cards through employment.
The benefit is only available to
the H-4 spouse of an H-1B visa
holder who is either the principal
beneficiary of an approved I-140
Immigrant Petition for Alien
Worker or has been granted an H1B extension under the American
Competitiveness in the TwentyFirst Century Act of 2000 (AC21),
as amended.
Under AC21, H-1B workers
may file for an extension of their H1B status beyond the 6 years
allowable period on H-1B status, if
they are unable to adjust status
Opinion
By Peter Wallace
Publisher/Editor-in-Chief: Lito A. Gajilan, Jr.
Columnists: Reuben S. Seguritan, Esq.,
Juan L. Mercado, Joseph G. Lariosa
The opinions expressed by columnists are their own and do
not reflect the opinion of the paper nor that of the publisher.
Email: filexpress@aol.com
Phone: 201-434-1114 Fax 201-434-0880
2711 John F. Kennedy Boulevard, Jersey City, NJ 07306
I visited Davao City last week
and I was impressed. We've all
heard of the “kill them” mayor;
well, I met that mayor. A more
down-to-earth person would be
hard to find, and a more sincere
person equally hard. Whether you
agree with his ruthless approach to
criminality or not, you can only be
impressed with what he's done for
the city.
We toured his emergency
response station. I couldn't believe
I was in the Philippines. I
mentioned how impressed (that
word kept cropping up) I am with
his new fire trucks. “Not new,” he
said, “properly maintained.” Not
before the end of the six-year
period mainly because of delays in
the adjudication of employmentbased green card sponsorships or
the unavailability of a visa number.
The USCIS issued an FAQ on the
new H-4 rule. It clarified, among
others that H-4 dependent spouses
who are eligible for the benefit may
apply for work permits as long as
they are on a valid H-4 status. The
validity of their employment
authorization document (EAD)
will be for the same period as their
H - 1 B f a m i l y m e m b e r. T h e
applicants may apply for renewal
of their EAD as long as they remain
eligible under the rule.
If the H-1B visa holder's I-140
petition is revoked or he is no
longer eligible for H-1B extension
under AC21, the USCIS has the
discretion to revoke the work
permit issued. Also, both the H-1B
visa holder and the H-4 dependent
spouse must maintain their
nonimmigrant status in order for
the H-4 spouse to qualify for the
benefit.
The H-4 spouse granted work
authorization under this rule may
work for any employer. The work
permit is unrestricted. The H-4
spouse may even start a business
and hire individuals as employees
of the business.
The application is made on
Form I-765, Application for
Employment Authorization. If the
H-1B visa holder is filing Form I129 petition to extend his/her stay
on H-1B status along with the H-4
dependent's spouse H-4 extension
of stay application, the application
for work permit may be filed
together with these applications.
If a new H-1B petition is being
filed along with a new H-4 change
of status application, the
application for work permit may
a l s o b e f i l e d c o n c u r re n t ly.
u Page 12
Duterte's safe city
only were they well-maintained,
they were also well-equipped. Even
helmets and fireproof clothing
were on the seats waiting to be put
on instantly for rapid response to a
fire call.
There was a pediatric
ambulance just for mothers giving
birth, which they can do in the
ambulance if time runs out. It had
an incubator, even cartoon
paintings on the wall for a little
comfort. It was a maternity
hospital on wheels. The other
ambulances were similarly wellequipped, and in perfect condition,
not like the decrepit vans,
inadequately converted and never
maintained but emblazoned with
the mayor's name, you see
elsewhere. Mayor Rodrigo
Duterte's name was nowhere to be
seen, just the functions of the
ambulance or emergency vehicle.
There were rubber boats,
f i b e r g l a s s b o a t s , e ve n t wo
amphibious vehicles, all carefully
stored in working condition, ready
for any emergency. Everything
stored in a purpose-designed
building. And throughout that
building, everything was
organized, tidily stored, ready for
instant use. The only other place
I've seen like it is my own
workshop.
We headed to the CCTV control
center next door; it's a world first
jointly developed with IBM. I
thought I was in one of those “CSI”
series. There were two rooms full
of screens depicting scenes on the
roads of Davao from 1,300 CCTV
cameras. These were cameras able
to circle and zoom down to read a
car's plate number, cameras able to
pick up an accident or a crime in full
u Page 12
May 29-June 4, 2015
Page 11
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
The Children of the garbage pit
The little girl and her friend
were sleeping on the pavement
along the street in Fuente district,
Cebu in front of a 7/11 that Easter
Sunday night 5 April 2015. They
had been begging for food in a city
of growing wealth and prosperity.
But street children see none of it,
they are the children of the garbage,
throwaway children that live
begging or scavenging on the
streets or in the garbage dump.
That sacred Sunday night when
Christians were celebrating the
resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth,
Chastity Mirabilis, a 11 year old
street child and her friend, 11 year
old (call her Miriam) were starting
their passion and “crucifixion”.
As Miriam later described it, a
policeman, as yet unnamed from
Station 2 Fuente Osmena under the
command of Chief Inspector
Wildemar Tiu. That policeman
came up to the sleeping children
kicked Chastity in face and dragged
her and Miriam to a police van. It is
likely he was not alone.
There was no justification for
this whatsoever and the children
Making
life worth
living
Ellen Tordesillas
Some of those who have
ambitions to become president in
2016 are reportedly thinking of
ways how to stop Grace Poe, whose
political trajectory is consistently
ascending since she was elected
senator two years ago.
This has become urgent with
President Aquino's recent meeting
with her on the possibility of
running for higher office in 2016.
One of the issues Poe's
prospective political opponents
have prepared to raise is her
citizenship.
It is a known fact that the 2013
senatorial race topnotcher was a
foundling. She was found in Jaro
Cathedral in Iloilo City. A kind
were brought to the Fuente police
station and allegedly beaten up in
the present of several police men.
Chastity was, according to the
testimony of Miriam, tortured with
electricity as reported by the city
social workers after interviewing
Miriam.
The children were so battered
that they could hardly walk. The
next day they were allegedly kicked
out of the police station but
Chastity could not stand up and
walk and Miriam carried her on her
back. No medical help was given.
The question is were they sexually
abused - investigators have
released a report or evidence to
rule it out.
Miriam carried Chastity to the
hovel where Chastity's
handicapped mother was, later that
day Chastity Mirabilis died from
her injuries.
The next day 6 April, three
more children were picked up
brought to the same police station
under the watch of Chief Inspector
Tiu and were allegedly subjected to
verbal and psychological abuse.
Opinion
By Fr. Shay Cullen
PREDA Foundation
The police shaved off their hair. The
female officer on duty did nothing
to help the children. Later she
called it necessary for the hygiene
and grooming of the children.
This is a gross humiliation and
criminalization of children and
psychological abuse. The police
should be fired for gross ignorance
of the law and rights of the child and
charged with violation of RA 7610
the child protection law. The three
children were detained in a prison
cell with male adult prisoners. They
we re n o t fe d p ro p e r fo o d .
It is not known if they were victims
of sexual abuse in the police station
or if the prisoners paid the police
for sex as sometime happens.
The criminalization of street
children is a ploy to de-humanize
them and justify harsh inhuman
treatment. A national broad sheet
editorial (Not The Manila Times)
recently commented on street
children and supported a bill in
congress to help them into
dignified shelters and care centers
however at the same time it
branded them as criminals. This
conditions the minds of the public
to treat them as a danger to society
and worthless and make the
children enemies of society in need
of punishment.
What happened in Cebu is not
an isolated incident .It happens
frequently and children are shot
and stabbed to death as I have
earlier reported. It is barbaric and
outrageous. There is no public
outcry in Cebu over this horrific
crime. Silence is a form of consent
and the silence brings shame on all
Cebuano people. They should stand
up and take a stand for children's
rights.
NBI 7 assistant director
Augusto Isidero admitted that the
child Miriam was able to identify
the policemen from photographs
who beat them and physically
abused them. He told me over the
phone that murder charges and
child abuse will be filed against the
policemen. These heartless cruel
police bring disgrace in the PNP
and must be held accountable.
When news of the death of
Chastity became news allegedly
Chief Inspector Wildemar Tiu
immediately took a flight to the
United States. He must have a green
card, or multiple reentry visa.
Getting a tourist visa to the United
States is a long procedure. It seems
he fled the scene of a crime in his
own police station.
Will justice ever be done? Will
the state really prosecute police for
this crime of alleged murder and
child abuse? They will likely favor
the cruel corrupt police over what
they have until now considered a
worthless street child. They are
considered less than human, so
worthless they allow them to sleep
u Page 12
Citizenship issue to be raised vs Grace Poe if
she runs for president
woman took care of her and later
gave her to the then King and
Queen of Philippine Movies
Fernando Poe, Jr and Susan Roces.
There are, of course, juicier
version of her parentage. One is
that she is allegedly the daughter of
Susan Roces' sister, Rosemarie
Sonora, with the late President
Ferdinand Marcos.
The lady senator knows about
the rumor. She reportedly once
j o ke d w i t h fe l l o w s e n a to r,
Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, J;
“Magkapatid daw tayo?”
But it is not a joking matter for
those whose political ambitions
she would be derailing. Social
Weather Stations' March 2015
survey showed Poe closing on
consistent frontrunner Vice
President Jejomar Binay.
SWS survey on presidential
possible candidates showed Poe's
rating going up by 10 percentage
points, from 21 percent last
December to 31 percent last
March. Binay rating, on the other
hand, continues to go down from
37 percent last December to 36
percent last March.
Poe said there was no talk
about what position Aquino would
like her to run in 2016 except that
he wants someone with a high
chance of winning to continue
what he has started after he is out
of Malacañang.
Poe has been impressive in her
first two years as senator, showing
diligence, competence and
principled position in issues
confronting her and the Senate.
In an institution where a
number of its members have been
implicated in corruption, she has
remained untainted. The only
issue her non-supporters can raise
is her citizenship, the same issue
that hounded her father, Fernando
Poe, Jr in the 2004 elections against
Gloria Arroyo. (The Supreme Court
eventually dismissed the case but
i t d i s t ra c te d F P J f ro m t h e
campaign.)
The Philippine Constitution
requires the president of the
Philippines to be “a natural-born
citizen of the Philippines, a
registered voter, able to read and
write, at least forty years of age on
the day of the election and a
resident of the Philippines for at
least ten years immediately
preceding such election.”
Since Grace Poe's biological
parents are unknown, her nonsupporters are asking: “How sure
is she that she is a natural-born
citizen of the Philippines?”
A source close to Poe's camp
said they are aware of that issue to
be raised against her if and when
she decides to run for the
presidency. They are ready to
answer that.
One of the legal instruments
that they are citing is the U.N.
Convention on the Reduction of
Statelessness that states, “A
foundling found in the territory of a
Contracting State shall, in the
absence of proof to the contrary, be
considered to have been born
within that territory of parents
possessing the nationality of that
State.”
Expect this issue to reach the
Supreme Court.
and a half ago, in January of 2013.
But because that was already just a
few months before the midterm
elections, he and his group agreed
with government prosecutors that
the accusers could themselves be
accused of using the filing of
charges for political purposes.
So the anti-pork groups held off
and agreed to wait until July, two
months after the polls, to restart
their crusade. But since then,
nothing has been heard from De
Lima or the NBI, until the justice
secretary suddenly declared that
she didn't have the time to pursue
the cases - and just as suddenly said
she had.
Why, after all, would De Lima
take such an interest in the
dormant pork barrel cases at this
time, when Congress is
deliberating on the BBL - in the
plenary in the House and on the
committee level in the Senate? “It's
simple: if they don't vote in favor of
the BBL, then they will be charged,”
Baligod said.
***
Congress, of course, would
rather that everyone just move on
about the pork barrel cases.
Judging from the allegations made
by Napoles alone, the pocketing of
pork was such a multi-partisan,
bicameral activity that the number
of legislators who participated in
the scam could beat even the
“super majority” that the Aquino
administration regularly calls upon
to pass its priority bills or support
its congressional initiatives.
So, the members of Congress
really have a choice in the matter of
the BBL: they can approve it and
u Page 12
Pork, carrots and a stick
It can't be all pork and carrots,
or pork-based dishes with carrots
on the side, after all. There must
also be a stick that will make
Congress quake in its boots and
approve, without thinking of
anything but its own thick hide,
President Noynoy Aquino's current
favorite legislation, the proposed
Bangsamoro Basic Law.
How else to explain the sudden
energy displayed by Justice
Secretary Leila de Lima in
announcing that the cases against
the so-called third batch of
legislator-suspects in the old (but
not forgotten) pork barrel scandal
will soon be filed with the Office of
the Ombudsman? Just a couple of
weeks back, De Lima had
announced that her Department of
Justice had neither the time nor the
inclination to pursue the charges.
Then she turned around and
declared that she did have both.
And now I think I know why.
It was Levi Baligod, the private
prosecutor in the pork barrel cases,
who confirmed my suspicions.
“The threat of filing of the pork
barrel cases has become a Sword of
Damocles placed above the heads
of members of Congress,” Baligod
told me in an interview.
According to Baligod, the pork
barrel cases, which will
purportedly be filed against up to
nine incumbent senators and Godknows-how-many sitting members
of the House of Representatives,
are now obviously being used as
“leverage” to gain Congress'
approval for the BBL. Malacanang
is sending a clear and
unmistakeable signal to Congress,
through De Lima, that if they don't
vote in favor of the BBL, they would
be charged for abusing their pork,
either through Janet Lim Napoles
or through other “pork
entrepreneurs” who similarly
bought up their allocations and
kicked back the bulk of the funds to
them.
“The really sad part is, all those
cases can stand up on their own
merits,” Baligod told me. “If
Secretary De Lima really wanted to
file them, she could have done so a
long time ago.”
How long ago? Well, Baligod
said he and his fellow anti-pork
crusaders have submitted the
documents to the National Bureau
of Investigation as early as a year
May 29-June 4, 2015
Page 12
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Duterte’s ...
From page 10
detail, even peek through the
window into McDonalds to see
w h a t p e o p l e a re e a t i n g .
“Impressive” is not a sufficient
word - but be careful what you
do in McDonalds.
The emergency call center
in the same building, like the
CCTV monitoring, runs 24
hours. A call to 911 gets instant
response. I tried it: Within three
rings a girl answered, inquiring
about the emergency. This at 1
a.m.
The mayor says his central
theme is “discipline”;
everything revolves around
that. He stands for no nonsense.
Which brings us to the “Dirty
Harry” (as this newspaper's
editorial referenced him)
image. Certainly he doesn't
hesitate to talk tough. Does he
do it, or at the least sanction it? I
don't know. Maybe it's just a
scare tactic, but Human Rights
Watch accuses him of full
complicity.
In a civilized society, such
action is reprehensible. But in a
civilized society, the system of
law works. In the Philippines, it
very provably does not - as I've
argued in many columns, to no
effect, although the Chief Justice
has promised reform. But she's
up against monumental
problems and resistance.
Criminals, even if they're caught
in the Philippines, get away with
it. According to the
International Freedom of
Expression Exchange, 171
journalists have been killed
since 1986, with only 16
convictions so far.
It's a difficult one, in a
society where crime goes
mostly unpunished. Duterte's
solution is drastic in the
extreme and, in the wrong
hands, could be massively
abused, as we saw during
martial law. But if you rely on an
inutile legal system the society
remains at risk from ruthless
criminals. So what do you do?
Do you stick to the democratic
ideal, or accept that the reality
calls for a different solution?
And the reality is that crime
flourishes in the Philippines,
but doesn't in Davao. It is now
listed as the 12th safest city in
the world, even outranking
To k y o , D u b a i , O t t a w a ,
Copenhagen and Reykjavik.
Davao was given a crime index
of 20.13. According to the
Internet site Numbeo, which
compiles crime statistics from
more than 400 cities
worldwide, “crime levels lower
than 20 are very low, crime
levels between 20 and 40 are
low, crime levels between 40
and 60 are moderate and crime
levels between 60 and 80 are
considered high.” The next
Philippine city is Cebu, ranked
236th, with a crime index of
48.88. Manila is ranked 359th,
with a crime index of 67.78.
In a letter to the editor, a
visiting German rightly says:
“You can't apply Western ideas
in the Philippines.” He adds:
“Duterte makes no secret about
what he thinks should be done
with murderers and rapists. So
every criminal knows what will
happen if they cross the red line;
they have been properly
warned, and they have been
given a fair chance to think
twice before they make their
choice.” Could this be the
justification? Warning has been
given.
Aside from its impressive
peace and order situation,
Davao is also among the
country's most competitive
local government units. The
National Competitiveness
Council (NCC) ranks Davao as
the fourth most competitive city
in the country, only behind
Makati, Cagayan de Oro and
Naga.
Davao topped NCC's Cities
and Municipalities
Competitiveness survey in
terms of infrastructure (which
covers subsectors such as
health and education
infrastructure and ICT
connection); ranked 11th in
economic dynamism (which
includes jobs generated and the
cost of doing business); and
p l a c e d 1 3 t h i n te r m s o f
government efficiency. The
survey noted that Davao is the
most transparent LGU in the
country and the most active in
terms of promoting
investments. The NCC also
recognized the city for its
compliance to national
directives to LGUs and efficient
tax collection.
I used to run a factory in
Davao back in the late 1970s. It's
a different city today, one that
works - in safety. Inquirer.net
The children ...
From page 11
on the streets and scavenge in their
garbage dumps. They allow it because
they see the children as worthless
garbage.
For the authorities Chastity and
countless more are worthless street
children. If not so why are then not in
clean homes with good food and
education as the children of the nation
with equal right under the constitution.
The politicians who create such
inequality and poverty are equally
guilty of causing the suffering of the
children.
The conscience of the nation ought
to be awakened to these terrible
unchanging conditions bringing
suffering to the poor, the children and
Pork, carrots ...
From page 11
receive the reported pork and cash
promised by a grateful Malacanang, or
they can say no to BBL and be charged
with corruption by De Lima before the
Ombudsman.
And, with less than a year before the
next election, what congressman or
sen a tor doesn't n ee d fu n ds to
campaign? What member of Congress
needs to be charged before the
Ombudsman and possibly even get
jailed like those three high-profile
senators now behind bars?
If you believe that Congress really
abused the pork that the palace so
liberally gave out in the past, it's easy to
conclude that any senator or
congressman offered this indecent
USCIS begins ...
From page 10
However, before the USCIS can
adjudicate the I-765 application, it must
first determine if both are eligible for H1B and H-4 status respectively.
Current rules require the USCIS to
adjudicate a pending I-765 application
within 90 days from receipt. If the
application is not adjudicated by the
90th day, regulations require the USCIS
to issue an interim Employment
Authorization Document. In this case,
however, the USCIS will not begin
counting the 90 days until they make a
decision on the H-1B petition and the H4 application.
The applicant must submit the
following to show eligibility for the
benefit: evidence of H-4 non-immigrant
status, evidence of qualifying spousal
relationship with the H-1B visa holder
such as marriage certificate, and
evidence of the H-1B family member's
non-immigrant status.
disgrace to the Philippines worldwide.
Diplomats cringe in shame when
foreign government officials raise the
issue. Cardinal Archbishop Tagle just
smiles when challenged about it as on
BBC Hardtalk..
They are the children of God,
declared by Jesus of Nazareth as the
most important in the Kingdom, accept
them we accept Jesus. That's our Faith.
But in the catholic Philippines the
church as institution has also failed the
children. They languish abused in
prisons and there is no Catholic social
action to save them.
The child Jesus is revered in Cebu,
the worship and procession of a statue is
a passion here but apparently there is
little or no respect for the living
children.
shaycullen@preda.org
proposal will almost instinctively
choose the money and the projects
(which really means more money). After
all, as many legislators will willingly
admit in private but never declare in
public the BBL's final approval really
rests with the Supreme Court, which
will decide the eventual cases to be filed
in the event the law passes.
So why not make Malacanang happy
by just voting in favor of the proposed
law and getting some much-needed
campaign funds besides? Who wants to
be the hero and be charged for past pork
abuse and drag the bribe-givers in the
palace (who also want to move on about
the scandal) into the revived
controversy in the bargain?
And this is why I believe the BBL will
pass. The pork-laced carrots are just too
appealing - and the stick (or sword) just
too threatening - ignore.
If the H-1B visa holder has an
approved I-140 petition, the applicant
must submit evidence that the I-140
petition has been approved such as the
Form I-797 Approval Notice.
If not, the applicant must show
evidence that the H-1B spouse is a
beneficiary of a permanent labor
certification application or
employment-based immigrant visa
petition which was filed on his/her
behalf 365 days or more before the
expiration of the six-year H-1B period,
and the application or petition remains
pending. The labor certification
application or I-140 petition must have
been filed by the end of the worker's
fifth year in H-1B status.
There is no premium processing
service available for I-765 applications
under this new rule.
(Editor's Note: REUBEN S. SEGURITAN has
been practicing law for over 30 years. For
more information, you may log on to his
website at www.seguritan.com or call (212)
695-5281.)
A yearly problem ... From page 10
Of the government in nation-building, shaping as they do the values of the
young who enter their classrooms.
The lessons children learn and for which their parents pay the steep price
must go beyond what are sadly obvious in the yearly tuition increases: one, that
Filipinos would willingly, if grimly, pay for good education, even working
overseas to put children and young relatives through school, and two, that
teachers, whose sterling sacrifice make for quality learning, can be so easily
shortchanged by a system often left to regulate itself.
With no corresponding increase in their salaries to cover the rise in their
children's tuition, some parents are crying for relief. Supporting a bill on tax
discounts for parents sending up to four children to school should help. And so
would Sen. Miriam Santiago's call for an inquiry into how these regular tuition
increases are being put to use.
Because more than the brick-and-mortar structures that house those
academic skills, teachers - well-trained, amply compensated and highly
motivated - make the difference. Good ones are worth the yearly increase and,
given their passion for sticking to an underpaid, underappreciated profession,
might even make for a good bargain. Inquirer.net
May 29-June 4, 2015
Page 13
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Vatican ...
From page 1
scandals and a general secularization of
society. Martin himself called the vote part
of a “social revolution” that required the
church to look at whether it had “drifted
completely away from young people.”
Pope Francis hasn't commented
directly on the Irish results, but on
Wednesday, May 27, he stressed traditional
church teaching on marriage as being
between man and woman. Francis has
dedicated his weekly general audience
catechism lessons to family issues, so
We d n e s d ay ' s r e m a r k s a b o u t t h e
importance of the period of engagement
before a marriage were perfectly in line
with the themes he has been stressing for
months.
Francis said fiancees should use their
engagements to really get to know one
another, acknowledging that they may
know one another “intimately,” and even
live together, but don't truly know one
another.
During the period of engagement, he
said, “The man learns about women by
learning about this woman, his fiancee,
while the woman learns about men by
learning about this man, her fiance.”
Francis' weekly catechism lessons are
part of his two-year study on family issues
that will culminate in October when
bishops from around the world gather to
discuss better ways to minister to today's
Catholics. At their preliminary meeting last
fall, bishops stressed the need to better
welcome gays into the church, but ruled
out gay marriage.
As archbishop of Buenos Aires, the
former Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio
fought hard, and unsuccessfully, to block
Argentina from becoming the first country
in South America to legalize gay marriage.
Inquirer.net
Catholics mobilize for Pope's
encyclical on climate change
NEW YORK -- There will be
prayer vigils and pilgrimages,
policy briefings and seminars,
and sermons in parishes from
t h e U n i te d S t a te s to t h e
Philippines.
When Pope Francis releases
his much-anticipated teaching
document on the environment
and climate change in the
coming weeks, a network of
Roman Catholics will be ready.
These environmental
advocates - who work with
bishops, religious orders,
Catholic universities and lay
movements - have been
preparing for months to help
maximize the effect of the
statement, hoping for a
transformative impact in the
fight against global warming.
“This is such a powerful
moment,” said Patrick Carolan,
executive director of Franciscan
Action Network, a Washingtonbased advocacy group formed by
Franciscan religious orders.
“We're asking ourselves,
'What would be the best way for
us to support the faith
community in getting this out
and using it as a call to action?”'
Carolan said.
Fra n c i s i s i s s u i n g t h e
encyclical by the end of June with
an eye toward the end-of-year
United Nations climate change
conference in Paris.
In this Wednesday, May 29, 2013, file photo, Pope Francis arrives for his
weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican through a throng
of people carrying umbrellas for the rain. Francis is issuing an encyclical on
the environment and climate change by the end of June 2015 with an eye
toward the end-of-year UN climate change conference in Paris. AP
photo/Andrew Medichini
While previous Popes have
made strong moral and
theological arguments in favor of
environmental protection,
Francis will be the first to
address global warming in such
a high-level teaching document.
The Pope, who will address
the UN General Assembly on
Sept. 25 when he visits the
United States, has said he wants
the encyclical to be released in
time to be read and absorbed
before the Paris talks.
Call to action
Advocates are pressing for a
binding, comprehensive
agreement among nations to
curb rising global temperatures,
which scientists say are largely
driven by carbon emissions.
“People are really putting a
lot of weight on this,” said Nancy
Tuchman, director of the
Institute of Environmental
Sustainability at Loyola
University Chicago.
“I think the real hope is that
he says it like it is and tells us
there has to be a call to action
and it has to be immediate,”
Tuchman added.
The institute, which has
been working to unite 28 US
Jesuit colleges and universities
as a common voice on climate
change, plans to collect papers
from students, faculty and staff
with their reflections on the
document and how they can be
“one of its champions,” she said.
Carolan was among about 40
Catholic leaders who gathered in
Rome this month for a strategy
meeting organized by the Global
Catholic Climate Movement, a
network that he cofounded that
includes organizations
representing religious orders,
Church aid agencies, Catholic
social justice advocates and
others.
Skeptics
The movement started a
petition that urges political
leaders to take action to curb
global warming and plans a
prayer vigil in Washington the
night before Francis' Sept. 24
address to the US Congress,
where he is likely to touch on
environmental protection.
The Pope's audience at the
Capitol will include skeptics on
climate change, and like-minded
groups are preparing a response
to the encyclical.
The Heartland Institute, a
u Page 14
May 29-June 4, 2015
Page 14
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Living on 'Hope' at the front line of disputed islands
By Shiena M. Barrameda
PAG-ASA ISLAND, Kalayaan -Waving a tiny Philippine flag, Keith,
4, merrily ran around the yard
fronting the barangay hall,
seemingly oblivious to the fact that
his home-island in the West
Philippine Sea is right in the middle
of an international territorial
dispute among Asian countries.
This island is at the front line of
the fight between the Philippines
and claimant
countries,
particularly China.
Keith's father Niko Abugado,
34, watched his son with a serene
look on his weathered face.
Wearing the black uniform of a
village watchman (barangay
tanod), Abugado is also a fisherman
and a former crew member of the
municipal transportation vessel of
Kalayaan.
The Camarines Sur native, who
grew up in Puerto Princesa City in
Palawan, came to the island in 2008
with his new wife, lured by talk of
how bountiful the surrounding sea
was.
Aside from an easy life, he
found the peaceful atmosphere to
his liking as it was in sharp contrast
to his childhood years in Lagonoy
town, CamSur. He was 9 when his
parents left the province, Abugado
recalled. Bothered by constant
demand for food and shelter by
members of the outlawed New
People's Army, his parents headed
for Puerto Princesa.
Challenge, blessing
Kalayaan Municipal Mayor
Eugenio Bito-onon Jr. said living on
the isolated island, the
international name of which is
Thitu, has been both a challenge
and a blessing. Considering the
reclamation activities on the
neighboring reefs and shoals in the
West Philippine Sea by China,
Vietnam and other claimant
countries, he said he feared for the
future of some 200 residents of the
island known locally as Pag-asa
(Hope).
The 372,000 square-meter
island is the largest of the
Philippine-administered and
naturally occurring Spratly Islands,
Catholics ...
From page 13
conservative Chicago-based thinktank that sent a team to Rome last
month to warn the Pope against the
UN climate change agenda, says it is
building relationships with Catholic
leaders and planning to distribute
reports on sustainable development
and challenges to climate science to a
Catholic audience.
J i m L a k e l y, a H e a r t l a n d
spokesman, said that since the Rome
event, the institute had heard from
Catholic groups, bloggers and others
“who share our concern that the Pope
is being misadvised by the United
Nations on this complicated scientific
issue.”
At the same time, however, other
Catholics worldwide are mobilizing
to echo the Pope's words among the
faithful.
Ringing of bells
Catholic Earthcare Australia, the
ecology agency of the Australian
OUT OF PLACE. A heavily armed soldier who's on regular patrol along
the shore of Pag-asa looks like a stranger in paradise. Pag-asa is the
only inhabited island in the Kalayaan Island Group. PHOTO COURTESY
OF SSG AMABLA MILAY/PAF/ PAO AFP
which was given the municipal
name Kalayaan (Freedom) under
the jurisdiction of Palawan.
Located some 480 kilometers
west of Palawan's business center,
Puerto Princesa City, Pag-asa is
bounded by the North Danger Reef
on the north, the Subi Reef on the
west, and Loaita and Tizard Banks
on the south.
Of the 32 children on Pag-asa,
only five, including Keith, were
born on the island, Bito-onon said.
Most, including the adults,
came from either Palawan, Bicol or
the Visayas.
Life is pretty basic, but selfsufficient, said Pag-asa Island
Administrator Mary Joy Batiancila.
Housing is free and deep wells
provide water that is purified
usinga water filtration facility.
Electricity comes from dieselpowered generators, while food
supplies like rice, canned goods
and processed meat - enough to last
for three to five months - are
sourced from Palawan. Other
commodities like toiletries are also
transported from the mainland.
Government services are
available as well, thanks to a police
Catholic Bishops' Conference, plans
an event on the encyclical at the
Australian Parliament and will
publish a book on the encyclical for
use in parishes.
In the Philippines, the
Archdiocese of Manila's decade-old
ecology ministry is asking bishops to
encourage all parishes to ring their
church bells when the encyclical is
released, among other efforts to
highlight the Pope's statement, said
ministry director Lou Arsenio.
Each September, the Manila
ecology ministry holds a month of
liturgies and Church activities on
environmental protection called a
“Season of Creation.”
“The big issue here is that
environmental issues are not just
about science but about ethics and
moral values,” said Pablo Canziani, an
atmospheric physicist who works
with the Argentine bishops'
conference.
Canziani, who worked with then
Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of
Buenos Aires before he became Pope
Francis, recently led a two-day
environmental seminar organized for
Argentine diocesan priests.
Canziani said he and others also
hoped to incorporate prayers related
to the encyclical in the many
upcoming Argentine pilgrimages to
shrines dedicated to the Virgin Mary.
Model sermons
In the United States, Dan Misleh,
director of the Catholic Climate
Covenant, an education and advocacy
network that works with the US
bishops, is preparing model sermons
on the expected themes of the
encyclical.
Over the last 15 years or so,
Catholic and other faith traditions
have been increasingly taking up
environmental protection, or what
they call creation care, as a moral
issue, emphasizing the impact not
only on nature but also on poor
people who struggle for access to
clean water and farmable land and
are often the most vulnerable in
natural disasters.
H oweve r, t h e o l o g i a n s a n d
secular environmental activists say
station, a health center, Philippine
Coast Guard (PCG) station, an
elementary school and other local
government agencies on the island.
But food shortages do occur,
Bito-onon conceded, and they
usually happen when trips from
Pag-asa to mainland Palawan are
either delayed or prohibited.
Ab u ga d o re c a l l e d a r i c e
shortage shortly after the PCG
temporarily prohibited sea travel
after a storm in 1996. For three
days, the residents subsisted on the
corn feed they used to give to pigs,
until food packages were airdropped by government
helicopters.
The municipal government
used to operate its own vessel
between Puerto Princesa and Pagasa but high fuel costs made the
operation untenable. Islanders
now travel to the mainland and
back via Philippine Navy ships that
dock on the island every three
months to deliver supplies to
troops guarding Spratly Islands
and Ayungin Shoal. The trip usually
takes three to five days.
Nomad planes or Philippine Air
Force (PAF) C-130s also fly to the
island, often taking the Villamor Air
Base-Puerto Princesa-Pag-asa
route and vice versa. A one-way trip
takes from one and a half hours to
two hours, with the plane landing
at the 300-meter sandy and grassy
airstrip called Rancudo Airfield,
n a m e d a f t e r f o r m e r PA F
commander Maj. Gen. Jose
Rancudo.
The island also enjoys telecom
s e r v i c e p rov i d e d by S m a r t
Communications, which set up a
Very Small Aperture Terminal
(VSAT) facility in 2011.
Cynthia Magdayao, Pag-asa
program director for special
projects, recounted how Pag-asa's
isolation proved to be a challenge
as well to health workers and the
municipal government. In 2014,
when residents suffered from
diarrhea because their water
supply had been contaminated
with coliform, she recalled how
bottled water and medicines had to
be air-dropped because sea travel
would take too long.
Hopefully, another water
this stunningly popular Pope, who
has captured the world's attention,
can bring into focus the human toll
from climate change in a way few
other leaders can.
“The social justice aspect, and the
way climate change is going to affect
the poor and underprivileged and
less privileged - that's not the first
thing people think about when they
think about climate change,” said Lou
Leonard, a World Wildlife Fund vice
president who specializes in climate
change issues.
Unparalleled network
“For those who see this primarily
as an issue of polar bears or other
impact on species - which is all really
important - this is an opportunity to
say this is as much a human issue as
anything else,” Leonard added.
The Church, given its reach and
structure, also provides an
unparalleled network for amplifying
calls to reduce global warming.
Bishops' conferences in many
countries, including in the United
States, have social justice programs
treatment facility could be
established on the island to avert a
repeat of this crisis, Magdayao said.
Such problems can sometimes
be overlooked, given the
abundance of marine life around
the island, Batiancila said, adding
that turtles, dolphins, manta rays
and various kinds of fish can be
found in areas surrounding Pagasa. Some 200,000 to 300,000
square meters of rich coral reefs in
the area are also home to aquarium
and commercial fish, which provide
livelihood and food to islanders.
'Secret Island'
About 5 km away is a sandbar
they call “Secret Island” which is
home to teeming marine life, said
Batiancila's secretary, Meldy
Pernia.
But even these marine
resources face an uncertain future,
it seems. The island's marine
resources have attracted Chinese
and Vietnamese fishermen who
often gather giant clams in the area,
Pernia said.
Subi Reef, only 25.7 km away, is
also among the areas in the West
Philippine Sea where China has
been undertaking massive
reclamation activities, including
the building of infrastructures that
have destroyed hectares of coral
reefs in the area.
Bito-onon said that local police,
fishermen and the PCG use facilities
and transport at their disposal to
protect these marine resources and
chase away poachers involved in
dynamite and cyanide fishing.
Sadly, he added, “We can only
protect up to 1 kilometer beyond
the reef fringes off Pag-asa. Beyond
that, we might be facing threats
from bigger sea vessels from other
countries.”
Despite the hardships and
challenges, Abugado said that he
and other Pag-asa residents are
willing to stand their ground to
protect their homes.
B u t B i t o - o n o n i s
understandably worried about the
escalation of the dispute into war.
“We are at the front line of the
fight between Philippines and
these claimant countries,” he said.
Inquirer.net
that focus on the environment.
Archbishop Thomas Wenski of
Miami, head of the US bishops'
domestic justice and human
development committee, speaks
frequently about Catholic teaching on
preserving creation and the impact of
climate change on the poor.
Global warming has also
emerged as an issue for Caritas
International, a confederation of
Catholic charitable groups that play a
major role in development and
disaster relief in more than 160
countries.
Caritas leaders worldwide said in
a survey released this month that
climate change was a top contributor
to food insecurity.
Major environmental
organizations are also abuzz about
the encyclical and have been
contacting Catholic groups for
guidance. Misleh has cautioned the
groups that the Pope will be making a
theological statement and speaking
“as a Catholic, not a member of the
Sierra Club.” Inquirer.net
May 29-June 4, 2015
Page 15
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Carlos P. and
Beth Romulo:
Their remarkable
romance
Theirs was an extraordinary
love story, one distinguished by
diplomacy and journalism,
spanning continents and years,
transcending age and politics. It
was also a love story between two
most extraordinary individualsand
one that almost became an
international incident.
General Carlos P. Romulo and
Beth Day Romulo were already
individually famous when they met
in 1957; she interviewed him for a
Reader's Digest article. Nothing
romantic happened then; they were
both married to other people and
became good friends. But when
they met again in 1972 , they were
widower and widow, fell in love and
married. But that's just the
beginning of a new story.
Accidental, last book
This marriage is the highlight of
Beth's new book, “The Writer, the
Lover and the Diplomat: Life with
Carlos P. Romulo,” cowritten with
American writer David F. Hyatt and
published by Anvil Publishing. This
is Beth's 29th book and will be
launched tomorrow in a private
event. Tomorrow, May 25, is also
Beth's 91st birthday.
“The Writer, the Lover and the
Diplomat” is in many ways an
accidental book, Beth said in an
interview. “This is my last book,
really. I don't expect to do another
one. I had this pile of notes because
I wrote some kind of an
autobiographical note every day
and I was looking over this stuff and
I thought, you know there's a book
here somewhere, but I didn't have
the energy for it.” She had been
collecting the notes for decades.
Total collaboration
Hyatt , an award-winning
journalist himself, first met Beth in
1983 when he interviewed an
already weak Carlos P. Romulo for
four hours in Manila as a foreign
correspondent for Voice of America
news. In 2012, Hyatt was writing
his memoir and researching the
chapter about the Philippines when
he learned Beth was still alive. Beth
had originally turned down his
interview request, but invited Hyatt
to visit if ever he was in town. They
discussed the autobiographical
notes she was gathering.
“I volunteered to help in
whatever way she felt appropriate,
anywhere from cheering her on
from the sidelines to total
collaboration,” Hyatt said in an email. “We went back and forth for a
few months before we agreed on
total collaboration.” Hyatt arrived
in Manila in January 2013 and
proceeded to interview Beth from
10 a.m. to 6 p.m. for a week. By
week's end, he had more than 25
hours of interview. Beth gave him
her notes. Several months later,
Beth sent more files to Hyatt's office
in Virginia.
Hyatt said he agreed to the
project because he was convinced
that Beth had a good story to tell.
“By giving my time to this project, I
felt as if I was paying back Carlos P.
Romulo for all the time he gave me
all those years ago,” he said. “I
consider the Philippines a special
place since I spent so much time
there as a foreign correspondent.”
Hyatt said he enjoyed the
process and loved getting to know
Beth well. “Co-writing this book
was a great adventure,” he said.
Hyatt organized the material,
plotting chapters, and they
completed what would become
“The Writer, the Lover and the
Diplomat.”
“It moved pretty fast,” Beth said
of the writing. “I was surprised how
fast we were able to produce the
book, (it took) less than a year.”
International scandal
Beth wrote “The Writer, the
Lover and the Diplomat” with the
same clear-eyed, straightforward
prose that she employed in earlier
books like 1987's “Inside the
Palace: The Rise and Fall of
Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos.”
Readers will immediately notice
the Reader's Digest sense of
accessibility. As noted in the
subtitle, Carlos played a big role in
the book. “As he said, I knew him
better than anybody ever did,” Beth
said. “You get an intimate up close
view of him.”
The book begins with Beth and
Carlos' reunion in 1972. Their
ensuing romance caused a ruckus
back in Malacañang, where
President Marcos is quoted by Beth
as exclaiming, “Not the General!,”
when he heard about Carlos'
relationship with an American
journalist.
“Our relationship was not
public knowledge but to Marcos it
was an international scandal
waiting to happen,” Beth writes in
the book. “He saw it as a potential
threat to his government's ability to
negotiate a new military base
agreement with the US. He was
adamantly opposed to it and
wanted it to end.”
Uncharted territory
Carlos famously stuck to his
guns. “I was startled by the whole
thing,” Beth said. “I never really
thought of that as part of my life at
all.” She finally moved to Manila in
1973. In 1978, Beth and Carlos
were secretly married in a civil
ceremony before marrying in a
Writer Beth Day and Gen. Carlos P. Romulo at the Waldorf Astoria in New York, 1979.
Photo from the book “THE WRITER, THE LOVER AND THE DIPLOMAT”
Catholic ceremony at the Apostolic
Nunciature the next year. Beth
fo u n d h e r s e l f i n u n c h a r te d
territory as a diplomat's wife. “I
never imagined being in the
international spotlight or the
diplomatic circles,” she said. “The
stuff I wrote about was not about
diplomats anyway. I didn't know
anything about that life. He (Carlos)
gave me the world.”
Their enduring romance had
everything to do with respect and
communication: “I never thought of
being a star myself. I always
thought I'd like to be the member of
a great team. And he was the perfect
teammate because we never ran
out of conversations all those years.
We agreed on a lot of things and
when we disagreed, we wanted to
know why. He had a delightful sense
of humor, better than mine. I
enjoyed it. It was a great team and
we were very effective as a team.”
“He was the writer, the lover,
and the diplomat,” Beth wrote of
the multifaceted Carlos. After all,
Romulo had won a Pulitzer Prize,
worked with General Douglas
MacArthur during World War II and
was the first Asian to be elected
president of the United Nations
General Assembly, going on to serve
various posts during the Marcos
administration as a very popular
statesman.
Front-row view
Beth had a front-row seat
watching history unfold as the
General's wife. Despite Carlos being
criticized for serving with the
Marcos dictatorship, she said
“there were so many people saying
we want someone who represented
'them' in the Cabinet. Because the
other people in the Cabinet didn't.
And he was the one who would
challenge the President about
things.”
She revealed that “in 1985,
they'd already killed [Ninoy]
Aquino, and he was heartbroken.
He was really heartbroken that it
was such a mess. And I'm sorry he
left before things got better.” Carlos
P. Romulo died on Dec. 15, 1985 at
the age of 87.
According to the book, his last
words to Beth were “I love you,”
mouthed from a hospital bed. It will
soon be 30 years since Carlos'
deathand Beth says she still misses
him. “Yes, I have been alone for 30
years. Of course, he was 26 years
older than I was and I just assume
I'd lose him so I just wanted to enjoy
the time we had together. If I didn't
want to suffer loss, I wouldn't have
been with him.”
“The Writer, the Lover and the
Diplomat” is Beth's memoir, and as
such it surprises the reader with a
frank, detailed and substantial
description of Beth's journey from a
precocious Indiana girl to a selfassured Reader's Digest writer and
author. The best part of the journey,
she said, was the independence she
gained and maintained. “My motto
was 'I can always walk away.' I had
my independenceemotionally,
financially, everythingat a time
when women didn't,” she said.
Resilient journey
“What impresses me most
about Beth's story is her resilient
journey from crushing heartbreak
at a very young age to a purposeful
life full of international travel,
romance and adventure. Her life
story reads like a movie script,” said
Hyatt.
I r o n i c a l l y, t h e h a r d e s t
experience Beth ever had to endure
was taking over the Romulo
household in Manila after marrying
the General. “Whew!” she said. “I
had no background for it and I
didn't know how to do anything.
The staff wasn't friendly when I
moved in. That was rough! That was
the first time I ever got into a
situation where I didn't have the
answers.”
She has since made Manila her
home, electing to stay even after
Romulo's death. “I really chose it. I
loved New York but New York is not
a place for old people. And here
people are very generous and very
inclusive. I have a lot of Romulo
relatives who see to it that they're in
touch with me a lot of the time. It's
just a kinder situation,” she said.
She still writes everyday on her
trusty IBM typewriter. “Typing has
a rhythm and that affects how I
work,” she explained. “I'm just used
to it and can't do it on a computer.” A
self-admitted “health nut,” Beth
swims every day and rides the
stationary bike every evening. “As
long as I'm alive, I want to feel
good,” she said.
Happy accident
As she approaches 91, Beth felt
it was indeed time to write a book
about her life, as well as her life
with Romulo. Of her life, she said
she wanted readers to take this
thought with them: “If you have a
little talent and most of all you're
dependable, you can have a career. I
think that's very important.
I decided that the fact that
people could depend on meI never
missed a deadline, I always got stuff
in on time, I would take any
assignment anywhereI think that's
the thing that makes for a good
career.”
And of the General, she said:
“He always said he was a small man
from a small country. He really tried
to put the Philippines on the
international map. He succeeded to
a great extent. He loved the
Philippines. He was a great
nationalist.” Hyatt added: “Carlos P.
Romulo was a true war hero but
ironically his greatest legacy is as a
champion of peace.”
Her extraordinary romance
with Carlos P. Romulo was a happy
accident, Beth Day Romulo said.
“Oh boy, that's luck and chance. I
never expected to have anything
like that. I stumbled into it because
of my career.
As a writer, you interview and
meet so many different people and
that is an opportunity you don't get
in a regular job.” That is borne out in
this excerpt from “The Writer, the
Lover and the Diplomat”: “We had
the most in common of anyone I had
ever known. And our relationship
w a s t h e m o s t r e w a r d i n g .”
Inquirer.net
May 29-June 4, 2015
Page 16
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Sambawan isle: ‘All good, summery
things wrapped up in one place’
BILIRAN, Eastern Visayas -Mountaineer Alexis Dominique
Limpiado has been to a lot of places.
But she always goes back to an island
here that she considers the perfect
destination for those in search of
adventure.
“Sambawan Island is simply
unforgettable. Its magnificent
beauty is hard to resist,” Limpiado
said. “It is not overcrowded or
absorbed by commercialism,” she
added.
Everything an adventurer loves
is on this islandswimming,
snorkeling, diving and even trekking,
said this mountaineer who planned
her third visit here in April.
“All good things wrapped up in
one place,” she said of her Sambawan
experience.
Limpiado could easily be
referring to the clear turquoise
waters, the stunning corals and
countless dive sites that make the
island a favorite among divers.
But trekkers find themselves
enamored as well of the greensheathed hills where one can enjoy a
panoramic view of the island or set
up camp beneath its starry skies.
5th class municipality
Tourism certainly brings in
much-needed income for the island,
said Maripipi Mayor Uldarico
Macorol of this 5th class
municipality under the territorial
jurisdiction of Maripipi, Biliran
province, with an annual internal
revenue allotment of about P30
million and an annual income of P3
million.
Starting January, tourists have to
pay P80 in entrance fee and P20 in
environment fee for maintenance of
the island, including its waste
management.
Declared a marine sanctuary to
preserve and protect its rich marine
resources, Sambawan is home to
dolphins and bull sharks. It is also a
nesting ground for turtles, with the
first hatchlings - all 84 of them awkwardly crawling out to sea on
President Aquino officially declared
2015 as ‘Visit the Philippines Year’
HIDDEN GEM. Sambawan Island in Biliran, Eastern Visayas, once a “no man's land,” is fast being discovered as a
tourist attraction after local and foreign guests chanced upon its long stretch of white sand beach, rich marine life
and clear turquoise waters, which can be enjoyed even on a tight budget. Swimming, snorkeling, diving and
trekking await adventure-seekers. Alexis Dominique Limpiado/Contributor
March 6 last year.
White beach of corals, shells
The sand here may not be as
powdery fine as that on Boracay, but
the beach is white as well, with the
consistency of ground corals and
shells.
High tide finds Sambawan as a
group of three islets jutting out from
the sea, as the causeway connecting
the three islets gets submerged. It's
the ideal time for divers to explore
the island's famous dive sites called
Sunken City, Buga I and II, and the
black forest, where underground
marvels like fan corals, awesome
rock formations, a sunken garden,
rock walls, reef sharks, and amazing
schools of fish abound.
There is no place for boredom
here, as adventurers can enjoy the
long stretch of white beach on
one side of the island, and its
limestone karst on the other.
Volcanic rocks meanwhile crown the
hill, with a viewing deck - accessible
for a P5 entrance fee - that
commands a 360-degree stunning
view of the surrounding
naturescape.
There is only one resort on the
island - the Sambawan Dive Camp
and Beach Resort, where open nipa
huts may be rented from P500 to
P1,000, according to Nestor Macorol,
the developer of the diving camp
here and a distant relative of the
mayor.
For P2,500 to P3,000, guests may
stay in enclosed cottages that can
accommodate up to 10 persons in
three rooms and an attic.
Those on a tight budget may opt
To pitch a tent on the beach for
P100, and be rewarded with a cloak
of stars on a clear night. But they
must also brace themselves for the
chilly breeze blown in by the
northeast winds.
But Macorol advised tourists to
bring their own food as there are no
markets or stores nearby, although a
common grilling area can be used to
cook one's meals. Free drinking
water is available at the Sambawan
diving camp, sourced no less from
the Viga Water Springs in Maripipi
where the water is sweet and fresh,
the developer added.
In God's time
There is no electricity on the
island, but the resort has solar lamps
and a generator set that runs from 6
p.m. to 5 a.m.
Macorol recalled that the island
used to be a no man's land uninhabited and abused by dynamite
and cyanide fishers, coral poachers
and illegal traders who extracted
white sand for the high-end hotels in
other developed provinces.
The tourists started coming lured by word of mouth - when the
resort opened in February 2012, a
steady stream that has stoked Mayor
Macorol's optimism about the
island's potential.
“In God's time, this will be a top
destination in the country, with its
rustic beauty and high-end services,”
he said.
How to get there
To get to Sambawan, one can take
a van to Maripipi from Tacloban City
in Leyte, through either the Naval or
Kawayan route.
Pump boats from the port of
Naval to Maripipi can carry up to 100
passengers and leave at noon, said
regional tourism staff Patrick Steven
Buena. The trip takes two hours and
costs P80 per head.
Taking the Kawayan route may
mean a shorter trip of about 45
minutes, but it is also more pricey,
with pump boat rates ranging from
P4,000 to P6,000 for a group of 20, to
and from Maripipi. To get to Kawayan
from Naval however means another
3 0 - m i n u te r i d e o n a re n te d
motorcyle.
Boat operators often offer to wait
for tourists who plan on staying
overnight in Maripipi.
To g e t f r o m M a r i p i p i t o
Sambawan means another 30minute boat ride of P45 per head.
Another option is to take a boat
at the Ol-og village, a 10-minute walk
from Maripipi port. The 20-minute
boat ride costs P30 per head.
But be warned: It's bound to be a
rough ride, as the current at Samar
Sea can be unpredictable.
Inquirer.net
Blind weaver's masterpiece a tribute to Ifugao heritage
By Melvin Gascon
The house of Rogelio Guinannoy, which
overlooks a road intersection in the upland
village of Comonal in Solano, Nueva Vizcaya,
has become a favorite hangout for his
relatives and neighbors. They are his biggest
fans, never getting tired of admiring his
creations of varied pieces of woven rattan
handicraft.
The 48-year-old weaver's latest
creations have become an attraction among
villagers - a pair of eight- and seven-foot
rattan statues that, by their intricate designs,
reveal the maker's extraordinary patience,
creativity and a discriminating eye for detail.
But these works of art are, to them,
extraordinary: Guinannoy, their maker, is
blind.
“Luh-hi” to family and friends,
Guinannoy wears a proud smile talking
about the pair of figurines which he
considers his masterpiece due to the
complexity of the designs, the amount of
Blind weaver Rogelio Guinannoy shows off his latest materials used and the more than two years
creations - a pair of woven rattan statues of Wigan and he spent creating them.
Best of all, the concept is closest to his
Bugan, gods of the Ifugao folklore. Melvin Gascon
heart.
Wigan and Bugan
“I thought of this design because Wigan
and Bugan were the first Ifugao people, and I
am an Ifugao,” he said.
In Ifugao mythology, it was said the tribal
god Cabbigat saw the earth barren so he sent
his children, demigods Wigan and Bugan, to
become its first inhabitants.
Guinannoy's rattan sculptures have
become a village attraction, with neighbors
seeing these take shape through months.
“I see him working almost every day and I
am constantly amazed by the effort and
patience that he puts into those projects,”
says farmer Jaynold Bungihan, 30.
Then he turns to Guinannoy: “Why did
you still have to add those lizards on their
legs? That would have been a few more days
of work.”
“Because that would make them even
more ethnic,” Guinannoy says.
The rattan statues feature intricate
details of the human anatomy, along with
traditional Ifugao accessories, making
onlookers forget that the maker is blind.
Seven-foot female Bugan wears a
traditional headgear and a necklace, and
carries on her head a “ballengaw” (woven
basket), while the taller Wigan has moveable
hands. Both have “saniyah” or native lizards
clinging onto their head and legs.
The sculptures have distinct private
parts, complete with body hair made from
wild grass. Guinannoy drapes these with
tattered clothing whenever onlookers felt
uneasy.
“I usually start off by weaving the body
parts piece by piece, then I stitch them
together. The hardest part is when I have to
reach their head because I have to climb onto
a platform,” he says.
He hopes to sell the pieces at a price that,
he says, would be a reasonable reward for the
effort that he has put into them.
“If my usual clients would buy it cheap,
then I may not sell it anymore,” he says,
referring to Baguio City-based native art
collectors.
He says Wigan and Bugan are the 12th
and 13th rattan sculptures that he has
created. The previous ones, he says, were
smaller, usually four feet.
u Page 19
May 29-June 4, 2015
Page 17
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
May 29-June 4, 2015
Page 18
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
President Ramos Dialogues with Enthusiastic Filipino
Community in New York over Breakfast Forum
NEW YORK, 22 May 2015 -- The
Philippine Consulate General New
York (PCGNY) and the Philippine
American Chamber of Commerce
New York (PACC) jointly hosted a
Breakfast Forum with former
President Fidel V. Ramos (FVR) at
the Kalayaan Hall Annex of the New
Yo r k P h i l i p p i n e C e n t e r o n
Thursday, 21 May 2015. After
attending the reunion celebrations
of his graduating class from U.S.
Military Academy in West Point,
President Ramos took the time to
update the Filipino-American
community on recent political,
economic and social developments
in the Philippines.
In his opening remarks, PACC
President Michael Nierva recalled
that it was the economic initiatives
of President Ramos that inspired
the Chamber to assert itself as an
organization to help enhance and
expand RP-US business ties in the
Tri-State region.
In his introduction of President
Ramos, Consul General Mario L. de
Leon, Jr. expressed gratitude to
him for his frequent postpresidency activities of educating
the Filipino public on current
issues which are of pertinence to
the Philippines and the Filipino
community in the Northeast U.S.
region.
The Consul General also
congratulated President Ramos on
a recognition he received from his
alma mater, the US Military
Academy in West Point. The
Thayer Hotel in West Point, NY
recently inducted the new Fidel V
Ramos Room named in his honor,
the first recognition the institution
dedicated to a foreigner.
ConGen De Leon further
expressed his confidence in FVR's
wisdom and experience for
insights to solutions and answers
to the issues being faced by the
Philippines. He mentioned the
territorial dispute in the West
Philippine Sea (WPS) with China,
and cited the incident on Mischief
Reef reclamation by the Chinese
during President Ramos' term in
1995. He as well raised the subject
of the Bangsamoro Basic Law, and
brought up the previous visit of
FVR in New York where he
presented a video documentary on
the Special Action Force, the same
group that handled the
Mamasapano operation in January.
In his usual charismatic
demeanor, President Ramos
greeted the community and
presented to the audience the
accomplishments and legacies of
his stewardship of the Philippines
from 1992 to 1998. He noted such
measures undertaken during his
presidential administration, such
as the Peace Agreement with the
Moro National Liberation Front,
the economic liberalization and
globalization efforts, and the
growing foreign investment
opportunities in the country. He
further explained to the audience
on what he felt were examples of
his administration's policies which
can find relevance to the nation
today.
During the question-andanswer portion moderated by
Consul Felipe Cariño, Director of
the Political/Economic Section,
President Ramos candidly
th
President Ramos (seated, 5 from left) indulge the community, led by ConGen De Leon
th
(seated, 4 from left), for a photo opportunity while signing autographs after the forum.
addressed queries from the
attendees concerning the ongoing
Peace Process in Mindanao, the
West Philippine Sea Arbitration
case between the Philippines and
China, the upcoming 2016
presidential elections, and the
programs of the government for
historical preservation matters
such as the Battle of Sibuyan Sea
during the Second World War.
Over 60 community members
were present at the Forum,
representing such diverse
organizations as the National
Federation of Filipino American
Associations Region I (NaFFAA),
the Filipino American Legal
Left photo: President Ramos states he prefers being called Ex-President Ramos or ExPres-Phil Ramos. Right photo: Ms Loida Nicolas-Lewis, Chairperson of US Pinoys for
Good Governance addresses the President on the WPS case. Photos by Jake Tolentino
Defense Fund (FALDEF), the
Philippine American Chamber of
Commerce in Pennsylvania and
Southern New Jersey (PACC-PSNJ),
M e t r o b a n k N e w Yo r k , t h e
Philippine Nurses Association in
New York, and the Fil-Am Press
Club of New York (FAPCNY).
Consul General Mario De Leon, Jr. (3rd from left) pose with participants (L-R) Consul
Bong Carino, Ms Elpi Catly of CITEM, Ms. Michelle Sanchez, Ms.Maricris Brias, Ms.
Juvenal Fernandez and Mr. JP Inigo of PTIC-NY.
Consul General Joins Philippine
Furniture Designers in ICFF Exhibit
NEW YORK, 19 May 2015 -- Consul
G e n e r a l M a r i o D e L e o n , J r.
accompanied a delegation
representing seven major Philippine
furniture designers, led by worldrenowned Kenneth Cobonpue and
Budji Layug, which participated in the
International Contemporary
Furniture Fair (ICFF) held at Javits
Center, New York City from 16 to 19
May. On May 18, a dinner reception at
the Official Residence of the Philippine
Consul General, hosted by Consul
General Mario and Eleanor De Leon,
was held in honor of the Philippine
delegates.
At the dinner reception, Consul
General said he was pleased by the
Philippine participation in the ICFF
this year which is the second straight
year after an absence of 13 years. He
believes that participation in ICFF is
the right move because ICFF provides
the right platform for Filipino
designers to showcase their unique
u Page 19
Consul General De Leon visits the Philippine booths manned by renowned Philippine furniture designers
organized by Kenneth Cobonpue and Budji Layug.
May 29-June 4, 2015
Page 19
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Batanes, Sulu artists take
part in Tam-awan 2015
By Edgar Allan M. Sembrano
H u n d re d s o f a r t i s t s a n d
performers participated in the
recent 6th Tam-awan International
Arts Festival in Baguio City, touted
to be the biggest so far since it
started in 2010.
This year's event, themed
“Global Cordillera: Heroes, Legends
and Treasures,” was held on May 610, and attended by delegations
from all over the country as well as
from Singapore, South Korea and
Israel.
“We tapped the whole art
groups of the Philippines from
Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao, with
representation of the cultural
dancers of every [invited]
province,” said Chit Asignacion,
festival director and vice president
of Chanum Foundation Inc.
Because of the event,
Asignacion said significant
exchange of cultures happened
between the Northern ethnic
g ro u p s l i ke t h e I b a l oy a n d
Kankanaey with other
enthnolinguistic groups of the
country like the Tausug of Sulu.
It was the first time Jolo artists
attended the event, he said, adding
that these artists were orphans of
the Moro Islamic Liberation Front
members and Abu Sayyaf.
Some 2,000 artists from the
various artforms joined the five-day
festival, which was part of the
National Heritage Month
celebration of the National
Commission for Culture and the
Arts (NCCA).
Artist empowerment
Traditional games, cultural
performances, Cordilleran rituals
from local and international artists
marked the event, organized by the
Chanum Foundation.
The festival, said the organizers,
“aims to empower artists as well as
communities highlighting the arts,
culture, and heritage as well as the
capacity of artists to contribute to
society and reach people with their
art.”
Jordan Mang-osan, Chanum
Foundation president, said the
festival celebrated Cordillera
culture.
“ T h r o u g h Ta m - a w a n
International Arts Festival, we
preserve our unique traditions and
culture,” he explained.
Mang-osan said that through
the festival traditional games and
stories now being neglected were
presented to the younger
generations.
The Ayala Museum mounted an
exhibition on the José Rizalinvented board game Rueda de la
Fortuna and its traditional-doll
collection at the Tam-awan Village
gallery.
Living traditions
Fr. Harold Rentoria, OSA, head
of the NCCA Subcommission on
Cultural Heritage said the Tamawan International Arts Festival
was one of the biggest events of the
Taoid heritage program.
“Of course, we have other
activities in other parts of the
Philippines, but this seems to be a
big festival that we always celebrate
e v e r y m o n t h o f M a y,” t h e
Augustinian friar said.
Rentoria added that Tamawan
“is also a best venue for us to discuss
issues, concerns that affect artists,
cultural workers, and the
protection of the cultural heritage
of the country.”
The NCCA official clarified that
what was being celebrated by Tamawan “is not only the past but also
the fruits of the present.”
“The festival is a time and a
venue for us to be thankful for what
we have in the past, and we
encourage more young people to
participate and come up with new
works based on traditions and
practices of their communities,” he
said.
Crosscultural exchange
Joyce Toh, senior curator of the
Singapore Arts Museum, said “it's
an important event because these
events bring together artists,
cultural practitioners, as well as
new audiences to kind of know
what are the living traditions in the
Philippines, specifically in the
Cordillera.”
She also stressed the
importance of this kind of events,
which is more on presenting the
intangible side of heritage.
“Unless you actually practice
the ritual, it's quite fragile. It can be
forgotten in one generation and
then it can disappear,” she said.
Steve Hant of the Korean
Association in Baguio said he was
excited to be part of the event.
By participating in the festival,
Hant added, Koreans conduct
crosscultural exchange with the
peoples of the Cordillera.
Inquirer.net PHOTOS BY JILSON SECKLER TIU
COLORFUL Ifugao traditional dance by Benguet group.
TRADITIONAL dance incorporates Ifugao community ritual.
Hunting dances performed by Ayta Mag Antsi community.
Blind weaver’s
masterpiece ...
From page 16
But the statues are not yet
complete, he says. For finishing
touches, he still has to smoke Bugan
in an improvised oven at the back of
his house for days to give it that
antique look.
Consul General Mario De Leon, Jr. and Madame Eleanor along with Consular
officials pose with Philippine delegates to the ICFF Consular officials during dinner
reception at the Official Residence.
Consul General
joins ... From page 18
designs that combine individual
creativity with indigenous raw
materials.
He also honored the participating
Filipino designers in the field of
contemporary furniture who continue
to reap praise and positive feedback
from ICFF organizers and many
visitors. Their fresh take on furniture
design has been acknowledged
internationally and are much indemand among high-end clients and
gives the Philippines a positive image
and establishes the Philippine brand
in contemporary furniture, he added.
To advertise, please call
201-434-1114
Copycat
Indanom Buhong, Guinannoy's
74-year-old mother, says her son
contracted a severe case of measles
when he was 10 months old, which
caused him to gradually lose his
eyesight in the next three years.
But he liked weaving, Buhong
says, and as a child, he mimicked the
work of adult weavers in his village
of Ducligan in Banaue, Ifugao,
before taking the craft seriously at
age 13.
When the Inquirer featured him
in a story in 2002, Guinannoy
produced only common rattan
handicraft, such as “tinalih”
(cylindrical baskets), “ulbong” (rice
containers), “hape-eng” or
“ p a s i k i n g ” ( b a c kp a c ks ) a n d
“pallungan” (bowls).
But Guinannoy tried weaving
more complicated works of art,
which included animal figures like
carabao, cattle and “musang” or
wild civet cat, which doubles into a
casing for coins or paper bills.
Inquirer.net
Graduates of UST
College of Commerce
Class '66 mini reunion
June 20, 2015 at the MAMA FINA's
restaurant in Elmwood Floral Park, New
Jersey at 1:00 p.m.
For details email
Fe.Jusay@yahoo.com
or call 845-452-2460
May 29-June 4, 2015
Page 20
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Aussie infra firms seek
partners for PH projects
By Ben O. de Vera
30TH BEST IN THE WORLD. Metro Manila sparkles at night as befits its recent inclusion among the “Global Top
30,” an elite roster of the world's most populous, productive and connected cities, according to the global
property consulting firm Jones Lang Lasalle (JLL). The JLL cited Metro Manila's economic scale, vast
population, large gross domestic product and BPO specialization as its competitive edge. JILSON SECKLER TIU
PH economy grew 7.3%
in 1st quarter - Moodys
By Amy R. Remo
The Philippine economy
grew by 7.3 percent in the first
quarter of the year, according to
Moody's Analytics.
Jumping the gun on the
Philippine Statistics Authority
(PSA), Moody's Analytics
confirmed the continued
growth of the economy under
the Aquino administration in a
report posted on ABS-CBN's
online portal on May 22.
Moody's Analytics, a think
tank, is an affiliate of Moody's
Investors Service, one of the
world's three major credit
rating agencies.
At press time, there was no
immediate comment from
Malacañang or the finance
department, as the official
report on the country's first
quarter gross domestic product
(GDP) has yet to be released.
National Economic and
Development Authority
Director General Arsenio M.
Balisacan and PSA National
Statistician Lisa Grace S.
Bersales will release the 2015
First Quarter Performance of
the Philippine Economy on May
28.
Moody's Analytics credited
the strong performance of the
economy in the first quarter of
the year on government's
higher infrastructure
investment and spending.
“ M o o dy ' s s a i d s t ro n g
electronics exports also gave
the economy a lift due to
improved global demand
e s p e c i a l ly f r o m t h e U S .
Likewise, the country is
expected to benefit most from
low oil prices with businesses
and even consumers able to
spend more due to savings from
fuel costs,” said Moody's
Analytics, in a report posted on
ABS-CBN's online site. u Page 22
Free Trade Agreements Lead to
Rising Exports, Study Confirms
Issued by the APEC Policy
Support Unit
BORACAY, Aklan, 25 May
2015 -- As regional free trade
agreements proliferate in the
Asia-Pacific, a new APEC Policy
Support Unit report confirms
that these agreements do make
a difference in boosting
exports. These preliminary
findings were submitted to
APEC Trade Ministers in
Boracay over the weekend.
The number of regional
and bilateral free trade
agreements (FTAs) in the AsiaPacific region has multiplied
since the 1990s with APEC
members among the most
active economies in
negotiating FTAs. At present,
APEC members have 144
enforced FTAs, approximately
53 percent of the global
number of FTAs.
“However, despite this
growth, more than 50 per cent
of trade in the region takes
place without the benefit of
any preferential trade
agreement. This begs the
question whether free trade
agreements actually matter,”
said Dr Alan Bollard, Executive
Director of the APEC
Secretariat.
“In order to answer this
question, the APEC Policy
Support Unit study took a
preliminary look at the effects
of free trade agreements on
exports. The statistical
analysis showed that the
number of FTA participants
and the quality of the
agreement do in fact correlate
w i t h h i g h e r e x p o r t s ,”
explained Bollard.
Initial analysis showed that
the average exports five years
after an FTA is enforced is
significantly higher vis-à-vis
the average exports five years
before. For the entire sample,
average annual exports for the
five years before FTAs was USD
4.1 billion. After FTAs were in
place, the following five years
saw a jump in average annual
exports to USD 6 billion.
“Our results show that free
trade agreements do in fact
have a compelling impact on
trade. The effect of FTAs,
however, depends on the size
essentially the more partners
involved, the better,” explained
Gloria Pasadilla, Senior Analyst
at the APEC Policy Support
Unit.
u Page 22
Companies in Australia are
i n te re s te d i n p a r t n e r i n g w i t h
Philippine firms so they can participate
in local infrastructure projects,
according to a visiting Australian
official.
Australian trade and investment
minister Andrew Robb on May 21 told
reporters that the Philippines has a
“very good chance” of becoming part of
the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP)
once this free trade agreement comes
into force.
Before proceeding to Boracay
Island for the Asia-Pacific Economic
C o o p e ra t i o n ( A p e c ) M i n i s t e r s
Responsible for Trade meeting this
weekend, Robb first dropped by Manila
with representatives of 11 companies
in tow, citing “the significance that the
Australian government is attaching to
infrastructure, just like … the
Philippines.”
This is Robb's second visit to the
country in as many years.
“Infrastructure is a very critical
issue,” Robb said, explaining how vital
it is in sustaining a country's growth
and prosperity.
“The size of infrastructure task
here is substantial, compounded by the
devastation of Supertyphoon 'Yolanda'
in 2013,” Robb said in a statement.
The official also lauded the “very
substantial development” in the
Aquino government's public-private
partnership (PPP) initiative to upgrade
or build new highways, air and sea
ports, as well as education and health
facilities with the help of private
investors.
“The regulatory structure [of PPP
in the Philippines] is a very sound one,”
he said.
The Philippines has in its PPP
pipeline around 50 projects worth
more than $23 billion, on top of nine
contracts worth about $3 billion
already awarded by the government to
private sector partners.
Also, Robb said, the Philippines, as
well as South Korea, would likely be
welcomed into the TPP fold right after
the ambitious trade deal spanning 12
countries takes effect.
“All the members of the TPP have
discussed possible new entrants South Korea and the Philippines which are the most enthusiastic about
joining,” he said. Inquirer.net
Dutch carrier looks to
expand PH operations
By Miguel R. Camus
KLM, which is celebrating its
64th year of operations in the
Philippines, currently serves the
Manila-Amsterdam route, via
Taipei, Taiwan, daily.
But the airline's expansion plans
will hinge on talks between the
Philippine and Dutch governments,
whether they will agree to expand
certain bilateral rights, said Patrick
Roux, KLM senior vice president for
Asia Pacific.
Roux was referring to fifthfreedom rights, which allows a
carrier like KLM to sell tickets to
passengers between the ManilaTaipei leg of the journey. This will
improve aircraft efficiency and the
carrier's profitability, he explained.
“We will try to get this right to
sell to local traffic. That will help us
sustain the route and develop
again,” Roux said.
There are no scheduled air talks
yet between the Philippines and the
Netherlands, according to the Civil
Aeronautics Board.
“The Philippines is a very
promising market. Within Asia, the
Philippines is the fastest-developing
country right now,” Roux added.
Also, KLM plans to ramp up its
presence among corporate clients in
the Philippines. KLM's ManilaAmsterdam flight enjoys passenger
loads in excess of 90 percent
because of Filipino seafarers being
deployed in Europe.
But Roux noted that they were
also looking to boost revenue per
passenger. This means more
travelers booked in business class,
he said.
KLM's Manila-Amsterdam route
is being served by its Boeing 777200 and B777-300 planes.
Inquirer.net
Survey shows low ethics
in the finance industry
Agence France-Presse
NEW YORK -- Nearly half of finance
industry workers suspect competitors
of cheating, while over a third in the
highest pay bracket have witnessed
wrongdoing first hand, according to a
survey seen May 21.
Key findings include that 23
percent believe their colleagues have
engaged in unethical activity to gain an
edge, nearly double the level in a 2012
survey, while almost one-fourth of
those making more than $500,000 a
year have felt pressure to compromise
ethically.
The survey of 1,200 workers in the
US and Britain said many believe
crossing ethical barriers to be “part
and parcel of succeeding in this highly
competitive field.”
Jordan Thomas, an attorney at the
law firm Labaton Sucharow who
u Page 22
May 29-June 4, 2015
Page 21
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Filipino turns ordinary car into autonomous vehicle
By Gervie Kay S. Estella
SINGAPORE -- A Filipino
professor in Singa pore ha s
converted an ordinary car and two
buggies into driverless vehicles,
and is now working on an
autonomous car system that may
soon be part of the city-state's
public transportation system.
Marcelo Ang Jr., 56, oversees a
12-member group of students and
staff members called Autonomous
Vehicles Group (AVG). They
developed two driverless golf
buggies and an autonomous
compact car that are “environmentfriendly” and “cheaper” than other
versions of their kind.
Ang, an associate professor of
National University of Singapore's
(NUS) Department of Mechanical
Engineering, said the vehicles
would enable the old, handicapped
and intoxicated people to “drive”
safely to their destinations.
“My motivation in starting this
project is my wanting to become
independent when it comes to
driving,” said Ang, also the Director
of NUS' Advanced Robotics Center.
“As I grow older, I feel it's very
important to be independent and
mobile, to go to the library and shop
without having to rely on my kids.”
The vehicles were developed in
cooperation between NUS and
Associate professor Marcelo Ang (right foreground) and members of the Autonomous
Vehicles Group show off their SCOT autonomous car.
Massachusetts Institute of
Technology (MIT), through the
S i n g a p o re - M I T A l l i a n c e fo r
R e s e a r c h a n d Te c h n o l o g y
(SMART).
Ang supervises the group,
together with Emilio Frazzoli, his
counterpart at MIT.
NUS-SMART's version may be
similar to Google's Self-Driving Car
that has $150,000 worth of
equipment. But the former is
“cheaper,” with the conversion
costing only around $30,000. The
Singaporean vehicle can also
navigate indoors, underground,
and even in areas with no Global
Positioning System (GPS) signal,
said James Fu Guo Ming, SMART
project lead.
This program is “proof that you
don't have to be a $300-billion giant
company like Google to work on an
autonomous vehicle,” said Fu, who
is also a former student of Ang. “The
work here is being done mostly by
students with the help of research
staff.”
Ang's team is not only focusing
on converting vehicles, but is also
developing the Mobility-onDemand (MOD) system.
Robotics
Users will be able to use their
smartphones to book autonomous
vehicles, which will take them to
the nearest train station where they
can ride toward their final
destinations.
Ang said MOD was created to
“supplement Singapore's public
transportation system” and solve
the so-called “first-mile” or “lastmile” problem, where passengers
have difficulty traveling from their
starting location to transportation
networks, such as bus, train and
ferry stations, and vice versa.
“In Singapore, this is much
needed because trains are very
efficient, while buses are not,” Ang
said. “After I arrived to my
destination, the car will go to the
next person who needs it. If you
have this system, would you want to
still own a car for everyday
commute?”
The project is funded by the
Singapore National Research
Foundation through SMART at the
Campus for Research Excellence
and Technological Enterprise
(CREATE). It is part of the country's
Smart Nation initiative, launched
by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong
in 2014.
Ang had several other
programs on robotics since he
started working at NUS in 1989,
including the Ship Welding Robotic
System. But he said the MOD
system is one of his most important
projects.
“If implemented, the system
will be one of my greatest legacies,”
Ang said. “The transportation
system affects all sectors of society,
including the rich and the poor, and
it will have a great impact to
everybody.”
u Page 22
Massive cyber-espionage linked to China
By Anthony Q. Esguerra
MANILA -- China may be
behind the massive cyberespionage on the computer
systems of governments, military
units, financial and media
institutions as well as individual
journalists across Southeast Asia.
In a report presented in Manila
on May 19, Cybersecurity group
FireEye Inc. said years of research
and monitoring led to the
discovery of a decade-long cyberespionage campaign linked to
China.
A threat group called APT 30,
an advanced persistent threat
group, has been consistently
targeting Southeast Asian
countries including Malaysia,
Vietnam, Thailand and even India,
South Korea, Saudi Arabia and the
U
S
.
FireEye said the Philippines was a
likely target.
“Advanced threat groups like
APT 30 illustrate that states p o n s o re d c yb e r - e s p i o n a g e
affects a variety of government
and organizations in the
Philippines and Southeast Asia,”
Wias Issa, senior director at
FireEye, said.
The massive group's goal
a p p e a r e d t o b e “ s e n s i t ive
information theft for government
espionage,” he added.
'Well-funded, state sponsored'
Years of monitoring and
analysis led FireEye to link the
organized cyber-attacks to China.
APT 30 targets entities that
m ay “ s a t i s f y g ove r n m e n t a l
intelligence collection
requirements” for political gain by
the sponsor state, most likely
China, the report suggests.
“What we realized was this is
Increasing Opportunities for Minority
and Women-owned Businesses
FireEye Inc. demonstrates how a cyber-attacker steals information from a
victim using a virtualized computer system. Anthony Q. Esguerra
not a single person. This is not a
handful of people. This is wellfunded, likely state-sponsored
with a coherent development plan
that's able to execute its mission
successfully for at least a decade,”
Issa said.
The firm said that analysis and
back-engineering revealed that
APT 30's tools were programmed
and developed in China.
“Our investigation also yielded
that a Chinese-language keyboard
was used to compile the data.
Looking at that information, the
toolsetsthat's one, the victimology,
the people that they targeted and
also the information that they're
after suggest that this is a Chinesebacked attack group that's based
in China that's likely supporting
the government of China,” Issa
explained.
Severe attacks during regional
events
On occasions convening the
leaders of the region, FireEye has
noticed severe and heightened
attacks on China's neighboring
countries.
A lot of attacks happened
during important decision-making
events, such as the Association of
Southeast Asian Nations summit,
in the region.
“They have timed it specifically
with Asean summit, multiple
specific events. The compile times
were right before or during the
events and that's going back to
with some of debates in Asean
2013's resolution on South China
Sea,” said FireEye's Patrick
Neighorn.
The 2013 Asean summit in
Brunei concentrated on the
territorial disputes around South
China Sea. At the summit, the
Philippines made a strong call to
address the issue at the regional
level.
The Philippines, along with
other countries claiming parts of
t h e te r r i to r y, m a d e s t ro n g
r e s i s t a n c e a g a i n s t C h i n a' s
expansionism in the disputed
waters.
In the recent Asean summit,
the Philippine government called
on fellow Asean members to stand
against China's “bullying” and
expansionism. Inquirer.net
NEW YORK, New York -- Asian
Women In Business (AWIB) will
hold its Annual Procurement
Opportunities Conference for
M i n o r i t y / Wo m e n - o w n e d
Business Enterprises (M/WBEs)
on Tuesday, June 30, 2015. It will
take place at BNY Mellon, 101
Barclay Street, 10th Floor, New
York City, from 8:30am to 3:00pm.
T h i s a n n u a l c o n fe re n c e i s
designed to provide the M/WBE
community with resources and
c o n n e c t i o n s to m a ke t h ei r
business stand out in a
competitive market. Networking
with like-minded people, and
meeting buyers from corporations
and government agencies are just
a few of the activities. The
conference also includes industry
expert-led panel discussions,
which offer valuable insight into
the procurement process and how
to maximize networking
opportunities. Counsel to the
Mayor and M/WBE Director Maya
Wiley, Esq. will be the keynote
speaker at the conference and will
speak about the Mayor's OneNYC
Plan to increase awards to
M/WBEs. Conference Highlights: ▪
Doing Business with Corporate
America - Experts from a variety of
corporations will share best
practices on how to close the deal
on corporate contracts. ▪
Government Procurement Representatives from NYC, NY,
regional authorities and federal
agencies will discuss the secrets to
landing government contracts.
Billions of tax dollars are spent by
the government, buying every
conceivable product and service. ▪
Corporate Matchmaking - Prequalified vendors (must complete
an AWIB fillable form) get a chance
to pitch directly to the buyers
through private one-on-one
meetings. ▪ B2B Networking Plenty of opportunity to network
with other business owners at
breakfast, lunch and throughout
t h e d a y. ▪ S k i l l s B u i l d i n g
Workshops - Industry expert led
seminars to help grow your
business and take it to the next
level. Below is a partial list of
p a r t i c i p a t i n g c o r p o ra t i o n s ,
government agencies and public
authorities. Please visit AWIB's
website
w w w. a w i b . o r g /
procurement for the latest
updates. Corporations: BNY
Mellon, CBS Corporation, Comcast
NBC Universal, Columbia
University, Cushman & Wakefield,
DDB Worldwide Communications
Group, Enterprise Holdings, Estée
Lauder Companies Inc. Goldman
Sachs & Co, Marsh & McLennan
Companies, Mount Sinai Health
System, New York Yankees New
Yo r k U n i v e r s i t y, N i e l s e n
Corporation, Pitney Bowes, Taro
Pharmaceuticals U.S.A. Increasing
Opportunities for Minority &
Women Owned Businesses Page 2
Regional Authorities: Battery Park
C i t y A u t h o r i t y, D o r m i t o r y
Authority State of New York
(DASNY), Metropolitan
Transportation Authority (MTA),
NYC Housing Authority, NYC
School Construction Authority,
Port Authority of NY/NJ
u Page 22
May 29-June 4, 2015
Page 22
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Hackers steal personal data from IRS
Agence France-Presse
WASHINGTON -- Hackers
stole information on 100,000
taxpayers from the online
computers of the US Internal
Revenue Service, the federal
tax agency said Tuesday, May
26.
The IRS said the
unidentified cyber thieves
used information on the
s p e c i f i c t a x p aye r s f ro m
sources outside the agency to
access the accounts, which
included crucial identifying
information such as birth
dates, addresses and social
security numbers.
“These third parties gained
sufficient information from an
outside source before trying to
access the IRS site, which
allowed them to clear a multistep authentication process,
including several personal
verification questions that
typically are only known by the
taxpayer,” the agency said.
The IRS said the theft
involved its online “Get
Transcript” system, which
allows users to view all their
transactions and reports with
the agency.
The hackers tried to access
about 200,000 accounts
between February and midMay, and were successful in
about half those attempts.
The IRS said the “Get
Transcript” service is on a
separate computer system
than the one that handles
online tax submissions for
millions of Americans each
year.
“That system remains
secure,” it said.
It said it has shut down the
“Get Transcript” service, and
its inspector general and
criminal investigation offices
were reviewing the case.
It did not identify the
source of the information that
allowed hackers to enter the
accounts.
The agency is notifying
owners of all 200,000 accounts
to warn them about the
hacking and provide free
credit monitoring for those
whose accounts were entered.
“It's possible that some of
these transcript accesses were
made with an eye toward using
them for identity theft for next
year's tax season.” Inquirer.net
Survey ... From page 20
Worked on the report with the
University of Notre Dame, said
We d n e s d ay ' s n e a r ly $ 6 b i l l i o n
settlement between six huge banks and
regulators for manipulating foreign
exchange and interest rates was the
latest evidence of the industry's deep
ethics problem.
“Making money at any costs is the
goal, not doing the right thing and
complying with the law,” said Thomas,
who previously worked on the US
Securities and Exchange Commission.
Bankers involved in the foreign
exchange rigging conspiracy felt
untroubled enough to dub themselves
“The Cartel,” Thomas said.
“They were unashamed,” he said.
The nickname “reflected that engaging
in wrongdoing was not inconsistent with
the culture.”
Thomas noted that 15 percent of
Free trade ...
From page 20
Increasing
opportunity ...
From page 21
Government Agencies: City
University of New York, NYC
Department of Citywide
Administrative Services, NYC
Department of Design &
Construction, NYC Department
of Environmental Protection,
NYC Department of Fire (FDNY),
NYC Department of Sanitation,
NYC Department of
Transportation, NYC Health and
Hospitals Corporation, NYC
Parks & Recreation Department,
NYC Small Business Services,
NYC Economic Development
Filipino turns
ordinary ...
From page 21
The father of three boys has
been into robotics since he was
young. He remembered
tinkering with broken things at
home in Manila, including
toasters, ovens, fans, door locks
and even their car, and finding
ways to fix them.
He studied Mechanical
Engineering at De La Salle
University, where he taught for a
year before getting a job at Intel
Philippines Manufacturing Inc.
He later left for Hawaii and took
up his master's degree also in
Mechanical Engineering at
University of Hawaii at Manoa.
He then earned his PhD in
Electrical Engineering from the
University of Rochester in New
York.
City of the future
Ang was teaching at
University of Rochester when he
was offered to be a professor at
NUS. At that time, Ang said,
Singapore was “not as
developed as it is today.”
“Ambassador HE Professor
Tommy Koh said Singapore aims
to be the city of the future, and
he asked me to join NUS so I can
become part of it,” Ang said.
Ang immediately packed his
bags for Singapore and, in three
months, brought his family to
settle in the country.
NUS and the Singaporean
C o r p o r a t i o n , N YC P o l i c e
D e p a r t m e n t ( N Y P D ) , N YS
Department of Health, NYS
Empire State Development, NYS
Homes and Community
Renewal, NYS Office of General
Services, NYS Office of the
Comptroller, US Army Corps of
Engineers, US Department of
Education, US Department of
Labor, US General Services
Ad m i n i s t ra t i o n , U S S m a l l
Business Administration AWIB
holds this conference as a public
service. Admission is FREE but
an RSVP is required by June
10th, 2015. Registration and
pre-qualification forms are
a v a i l a b l e a t w w w. a w i b .
Org/procurement. Call 212868-1368 or email
info@awib.org for additional
government made true their
promise to support Ang's
projects. When the National
Research Foundation offered a
grant in 2010 for programs on
future urban mobility, Ang
pitched the concept of the
“robot car” and of converting
cars into autonomous vehicles
to Damien Chong and Qin
Baoxing, his students at the time
who just recently earned their
PhD and are now part of AVG.
The team was able to launch
two driverless golf buggies - DJ
(Driverless Jockey) and BX
(Buggy Xtreme), named after
Chong and Baoxing - which
ferried passengers at a speed of
10 kilometers per hour around
the Chinese and Japanese
Gardens in October last year.
T h e AV G a l s o l a u n c h e d
S i n g a p o r e' s f i r s t l o c a l l y
developed driverless car called
SCOT, which is designed for
operations on public roads.
Unlike other driverless cars
which are retrofitted with
expensive 3D laser sensors,
SCOT relies on low-cost off-theshelf Lidar sensors, which
enable the car to drive even in
tunnels and places where GPS
signals would be hindered,
according to a statement from
SMART.
Human error
Fu said the autonomous
vehicles would provide a safer
mode of transportation, more
productivity, better use of road
infrastructure, and
transportation access even to
information.
About AWIB
Founded in 1995, Asian
Women In Business (AWIB) is
the only non-profit, tax-exempt
organization in the country with
the primary mission of assisting
Asian women entrepreneurs.
Over the years, AWIB, a dynamic
organization, has expanded its
mission to address identified
needs and issues affecting the
business and professional
development of Asian
Americans. AWIB also serves on
various tasks forces and boards
to promote the inclusion of
minority and women owned
businesses and professionals.
Visit us at www.awib.org.
those who cannot drive.
“Accidents are due to human
error, as some people are
texting, calling or even watching
movies while they are driving. If
the cars are driving by
themselves in a very predictable
manner, it would be safer,” Fu
said. “At the same time, while
you are inside the car, you can be
doing other things like checking
your e-mail and Facebook, and
watching YouTube, all in safety
as the car drives for you.”
Ang said the Singaporean
government is supporting the
prototyping stage for the MOD
system, including the
development of the
autonomous vehicles. The
group is also planning to take
the car to the “One North” area, a
place designated for field trials
of autonomous vehicles and
where many pedestrians and
vehicles are present. The trial
will probably start next month,
he added.
But Ang wants one more
thing - to see this technology in
his own country, the Philippines.
“Definitely, I want to see
these autonomous vehicles in
the Philippines, where there is a
lot of urban development and
traffic, and the population is
very huge,” Ang said. “It would
be nice if we have autonomous
vehicles and a shared-car
system-mobility on demand.
This may be a solution to our
traffic problems and will
definitely make people more
productive.” Inquirer.net
In addition, the quality of a free
trade agreement was also found to be
important in terms of encouraging
exports. For example, some agreements
only cover goods but exclude services.
Others are more comprehensive
and include regulations affecting labor,
environment, competition policies and
other chapters.
The study tested for quality through
PH economy ...
From page 20
Apec's 3rd fastest growth in 2014
The report said a 7.3 percent growth
would help the economy be on track to
meet the Aquino administration's full
year target of 7 to 8 percent.
In 2014, the economy posted a fullyear growth of 6.1 percent.
Also in 2014, the Philippines posted
the third fastest GDP growth among the
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation
(Apec) economies, next to Papua New
Guinea and China.
In Apec's latest economic trends
analysis titled, “Economic Resilience
Amidst Global Headwinds,” the
Philippines is seen growing by 6.7
percent this year, and 6.3 percent in
2016, enabling the country to remain as
the third fastest growing economy
among Apec members.
On the whole, the Apec members is
seen to grow at a faster pace of 3.2
percent within the next two years on the
back of a strong domestic demand and
lower oil prices.
Silent
Citing data from the International
Monetary Fund (IMF), the Apec said in
its latest economic trends analysis that
the economic growth in the near term
would also hinge on the impact of the
United States' economic resurgence and
normalization of the monetary policy.
Last year, Apec economies proved
resilient amid challenging external
conditions as the bloc posted an average
growth of 2.9 percent, which was similar
to the level in 2013, but lower compared
to the 3.4 percent world GDP growth
estimate by the IMF.
This was amid uncertainties
surrounding the path of oil prices and
the timing of monetary normalization in
the US.
Upside opportunities
This year, upside opportunities for
growth would come mainly from
domestic factors, particularly robust
households spending that is ably
supported by steady government
consumption and investment, according
to economic trends analysis.
employees surveyed said company
leaders would ignore their suspicions if a
top performer was believed to gain large
profits from insider trading.
This share rose to 21 percent of
those earning $500,000 or more.
The report said a key problem is the
barriers that companies erect to block
employees from reporting wrongdoing.
Twenty-eight percent of the best-paid
employees said company confidentiality
policies barred them from reporting
wrongdoing to government authorities.
Regulators have been cracking down
on such gag orders when they find out
about them.
The SEC on April 1 fined engineering
firm KBR $130,000 for requiring
workers to sign confidentiality orders
saying they could be fired for discussing
wrongdoing with outside authorities.
Thomas said the SEC's approach has
been “encouraging” but that it and other
agencies need to do more to protect
whistleblowers. Inquirer.net
comparing FTAs enforced before 2005
and those after 2005, the rationale
being that later FTAs are more
comprehensive and of higher quality.
“These initial findings suggest that
free trade agreements between
economies do make a difference and
have a significant impact on exports,
despite the cost and time required to
negotiate such agreements,” concluded
Pasadilla. “This should help inform
APEC Minsters and policy makers
moving forward.”
In turn, accommodative conditions
marked by low interest rates and strong
credit growth remain important
determinants of private consumption
expenditures.
Falling oil prices continue to
generate positive impact for oil
importers via the consumption channel
by increasing households' purchasing
power, the report stated.
Downside risks meanwhile are
largely external in nature.
Uncertainties
“Uncertainties surrounding the
trajectory of oil prices and the timing of
US monetary policy normalization
combined with slower economic activity
in China will impact on the near-term
GDP growth of Apec economies. The
steady and significant decline in oil
prices is expected to directly affect oil
exporters, weighing down output
levels,” it said.
As economies rebalance towards
domestic drivers of growth, Apec
members will now need to strengthen
private consumption through more
inclusive and sustainable growth.
“This will require both increasing
labor productivity and innovation to
raise wages and living standards, as well
as reducing income uncertainties
through safety nets and social insurance
to allow households to smooth
consumption.
Fiscal consolidation programs
Economies could consider
implementing fiscal consolidation
programs, where appropriate, that will
take into account spending
rationalization, revenue generation and
subsidy reforms, which will make public
funds available for programs aimed at
improving economic inclusiveness,
sustainability and innovation,” the
report stated.
Such programs, in turn, will need to
cover skills development, investments
in infrastructure (including regulatory
and financial reforms), making labor
markets more open for women and
disadvantaged groups, and enhancing
institutions and governance at all levels
to strengthen transmission mechanisms
between policy and inclusive growth.
Inquirer.net
May 29-June 4, 2015
Page 23
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
David Foster 'happy' with
Charice's new style, look
By Allan Policarpio
Like every good thing that has
happened in her life and career,
Charice's recent onstage reunion with
her godfather and mentor, David
Foster, on the “Asia's Got Talent” stage
came when she least expected it.
One day last April, Charice flew to
Singapore for what should have been a
casual get-together with Foster, which
was arranged with the help of Marc
Johnston, who manages both artists'
international careers. But little did she
know that her supposed one-day trip
would end up longer - and a lot more
exciting.
The first thing Foster noticed,
Charice recalled, was her weight loss
and new look. “He told me he was
happy that I've finally found my style,
and that I looked good,” said the singer,
who now wears her hair short, and has
taken a liking to leather boots and
biker jackets.
Her coming out and sexual
preference were nonissues. Foster
embraced her, Charice recounted, and
it was touching and overwhelming. “It
felt like David genuinely missed me,”
she said, adding that she and the
composer/record producer lost
APL.DE.AP (left) and Jessica Reynoso wowed the audience. Photo by Alec Corpuz
David Foster and Charice jammed like
the good old times. Grace Mendoza
contact about four years ago.
Chatting about music
And then, of course, the two started
talking about what they do best and
love most: music.
“David asked me what I was
listening to at the moment, and I told
him that I love Sam Smith…He asked
u Page 24
A very hip-hop
‘Thrilla in Manila’
By Allan Policarpio
At its most rousing, the first
MTV Music Evolution was a
massive hip-hop throwback
party, with the show's main act,
Naughty by Nature, prompting
some 22,000 fans to holler and
wave their arms in the air in
unison, as the group - through
its thumping music - rolled
back the time by a few decades.
“We're going to turn on the
time machine on your a****!”
the Grammy Award-winning
hip-hop trio, composed of
Treach, Vin Rock and DJ Kay
Gee, roared at the crowd that
gathered at the Quirino
Grandstand earlier this month.
Pandemonium
Naughty by Nature, which
hails from New Jersey, was
playing in Manila for the first
time and the members were
expecting to witness a
“pandemonium.”
And they got what they had
hoped for.
The audience sang and
jumped to just about every hit
dished out by the still-vigorous
performers - “Hip Hop Hooray,”
“It's On,” “Craziest,” “Jamboree”
and more.
The music was infectiously
head-bobbing, with a focus on
rapid-fire, yet still melodic,
rapping set to funky beats and
samples. DJ Kay Gee scratched
the vinyl, adding that extra pop.
The set had a palpable oldschool feel.
But one need not be an
“old-schooler” to appreciate
the group's music, said Vin,
after seeing that there were
lots of young people in the
audience: It's not about age,
but vibe. “Old school means
that if you're blessed enough to
live to see the next day, then the
previous day, week and month
is your old school,” he said to
wild cheering.
Aside from being engaging
showmen, the members knew
how to woo a local crowd.
Vin rocked a red T-shirt
that said, “Filipino Nature,”
while Treach donned one with
“FrancisM” emblazoned on the
back. Every so often, the group
paid homage to the late
Filipino hip-hop icon, blasting
snippets of “Mga Kababayan
Ko” and “Kaleidoscope World.”
u Page 24
Gerphil Flores. INQUIRER.net PHOTO/Ryan Leagogo
Gerphil Flores: I have no grudge
against Kris Aquino, Ai-Ai delas Alas
By Arvin Mendoza
“Asia's Got Talent” third placer
Gerphil Flores dismissed rumors that
she holds a grudge against the judges
of “Pilipinas Got Talent.”
“I want to tell everybody that my
experience on Pilipinas Got Talent
was completely memorable,” Gerphil
told INQUIRER.net in an interview
during the finalists' homecoming
press conference on Thursday at
Urban Bar and Kitchen, Bonifacio
Global City in Taguig.
In 2010, Gerphil joined ABSCBN's Pilipinas Got Talent, the local
franchise of the popular talent show,
as the classical singer Fame but failed
to land a spot in the finals.
Actresses Kris Aquino and Ai-Ai
de las Alas were two of the three
judges of the show.
When Gerphil got the “golden
buzzer” during her audition in AXN's
Asia's Got Talent to secure a spot in
the semifinals, social media was
abuzz with negative criticisms
directed at Kris and Ai-Ai.
Netizens bashed both Kris and
Ai-Ai for supposedly failing to see
Gerphil's talent and urging her to go
another direction.
“Being the judges of the show, I
really respect their comments about
me then. Of course, everybody is
entitled to their opinions,” Gerphil
said.
The 24-year-old songstress
headed straight to “Asia's Got Talent”
grand finals through public votes. She
finished third behind champions and
fellow Filipinos El Gamma Penumbra
and runner-up Khusugtun from
Mongolia.
Gerphil also explained why she
was nowhere in sight during the
finalists' homecoming performance
on ABS-CBN's variety show ASAP.
People noticed her absence when
El Gamma Penumbra, Junior News
System, and Gwyneth Dorado all
performed on the said show last May
17.
“The three went home ahead of
me. My stay in Singapore got
extended. I arrived here (in the
Philippines) on Sunday (May 17)
night,” said Gerphil. Inquirer.net
Angel is ready to get hitched
you're in a relationship that
makes you feel secure, then
waiting becomes much easier.
I'm happy that Luis
understands how committed I
am to my work. We talk about
settling down, but only in
passing. We don't really sit
down and discuss it.”
By Marinel R. Cruz
At 30, actress Angel Locsin
said she is “emotionally and
financially ready” to settle
down with her boyfriend, TV
host-actor Luis Manzano.
However, t he a ct ress
refused to feel pressured by
family and friends who want
her to get hitched pronto,
especially since she said she
was certain Luis is “the perfect
guy” for her.
“God's timing is always
perfect. I know that it's not
happening now because He
still has other plans for me.
That's also why I'm not
rushing,” Angel told reporters
during the recent “Cirque du
Paradis” event hosted by Avon
Tropical Paradise, which the
actress endorses, at the Amber
Ultra Lounge in the Fort Strip
on Thursday.
“I think Luis is waiting for
me to propose to him. He often
says he has found the perfect
ring that he'd ask me to buy for
him,” she quipped. “Seriously,
Angel Locsin
we see a lot of friends,
especially in show business,
who are taking their
relationships to the next level,
but marriage is not like a pair
of shoes that we wear because
it's trendy and then later
discard when it's already
outdated.”
She added: “Whether the
wedding will happen this year
or next is not important. If
Baby borrower
Luis' mom, Batangas Gov.
Vilma Santos, has repeatedly
said she wants a grandchild. “I
love kids, too. I borrow my
friends' babies, especially
(friend and fellow ABS-CBN
talent) Dimples Romana's. Her
baby is so cute. But I prefer to
get married first before having
my own child,” Angel said.
The actress said her dad,
Angelo Colmenares, adores
Luis. “He likes it when Luis
visits him. Luis brings him
chocolates, and makes him
laugh,” Angel told the Inquirer.
“Before Luis and I got back
together, he went to our house
to talk to my father. He said, 'I
u Page 26
May 29-June 4, 2015
Page 24
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Filmmaker from Minnesota makes coming-of-age
film in Unesco World Heritage site
By Bayani San Diego Jr.
Robert D. Martin is proud of his international crew,
composed of individuals from the Philippines, US,
France, Mexico, India and Puerto Rico. Geofrey Nawe
It started with an invitation that
sounded more like a dare.
Robert D. Martin, originally from
Minneapolis, Minnesota, was then on his
second year at the New York University
Tisch Asia, in Singapore, when his
mentor, Filipino filmmaker Carlos
Siguion-Reyna, encouraged him and his
peers to explore the Philippines.
That year (2013), Martin and his
classmates were tasked to write and
direct a short film on any chosen country
in Southeast Asia. He picked Ifugao
province, in northern Philippines specifically, Banaue - as the setting of his
story.
“I fell in love with the people and the
culture,” he related.
Martin spent six months in the
Philippines - “writing the script, casting
actors and scouting locations.”
“I befriended young people in the
villages and gained the trust of their
elders,” he recalled. “I spent nights in
native huts, sampled strong rice wine,
chewed betel nut, hiked every trail,
survived a landslide and attended
classes at a local school.”
He did all that not only to completely
immerse himself in the milieu, but also
“to feel the heartbeat of the young in the
community.”
And it was a community that was
both “mysterious and epic” to an
outsider like him.
During his research, however, he
realized that Banaue's youth “were
struggling with the same issues of
popularity and keeping up with the
latest pop culture trends” that
youngsters obsess over in the United
States.
“It was not a uniquely American or
western concept at all,” he conceded.
Journey to adulthood
In sum, Martin's short film, “The
Banaue Boy,” chronicles a young man's
journey to adulthood - a “coming-of-age
film set in the secluded mountains of
northern Philippines,” particularly in a
Unesco World Heritage Site, the Banaue
Rice Terraces.
“It is sort of a road film,” he explained.
“So it required a lot of hiking to
numerous locations, while carrying
heavy equipment up and down a
mountain or filming scenes on a narrow
stone ledge with a
10- to 20-foot drop.”
Mercifully, he and his team were
assisted by locals “who were very
welcoming and patient.”
“I remember chatting with crew
members as we hiked back to the lodge
at the end of our first shooting day and
they were in such high spirits,” he
recounted. “The shoot's location sparked
a sense of adventure in them.”
He is grateful to his cast and crew, led
by local producer Elaine Lozano and
cinematographer Jaime Villa-Ruiz and
actors Abner Delina, Moises Joy Magisa,
Norris John, Claudia Enriquez and Meila
Romero.
“I am proud that the six-day shoot
was made possible by the hard work of a
totally international crew, composed of
u Page 26
David Foster
happy ... From page 23
NAUGHTY by
Nature member
Vin Rock wore
a Pinoy tee
DJ CASH Money
took a selfie
onstage
A very hip ...
From page 23
They likewise offered a toast
to another late, great hip-hop
legend, Tupac Shakur, by
performing “Hail Mary.”
Hip-hop has gone through
lots of changes through the
years, the latest being the
propensity of rappers to
collaborate with electronic
dance music artists. It might be
different from the music
Naughty by Nature makes, but
they're not knocking it.
Riding the bull
“You can't expect music to
sound the same…You need to
come up with new sounds,”
Treach said in a group interview,
hours before the show. “You
can't predict the future of music.
But I will ride the wave like it's a
bull.”
True to the show's theme of
music evolution, all the other
acts in the lineup each had a
distinct style and take on hiphop, which they showcased in
their respective sets.
The American DJ Cash
Money manned the booth,
dispensing a whirling mix of
heady tunes both classic and
contemporary, while showing
o f f h i s exc e p t i o n a l v i nyl
scrubbing skills.
Another American
performer, the young rapper YG,
turned out to be the night's
cheekiest, peppering his set with
expletives. He was joined by Slim
400 and DJ Goofy 500 in
performing a 15-song medley,
which included “My Hitta, Don't
Tell 'Em,” “Who Do U Love” and “I
Just Wanna Party.”
Unlike Naughty by Nature's
set, YG's throbbed with chunkier
beats; his rapping style, more
leisurely. At one point the rapper
said he didn't mind if bras and
panties would get thrown to the
stage. And then he realized that
the show was being recorded
live and would be aired in at least
160 countries.
FrancisM's hits “Three Stars and
a Sun” and “Kaleidoscope
World.”
“I don't think much about
impressing foreigners. My main
concern is to give a good show.
We're honored to be part of this
event,” Gloc-9 said earlier.
Abra had the young girls
shrieking, as he tackled “Poor
Country ” with his group,
Lyrically Deranged Poets.
Known for incorporating R&B
into his music, the FlipTop star
also shared the stage with Ron
Henley in “Biglang Liko” and
Loonie in “Tao Lang.” The three
joined forces in “Cerberus.”
Filipino team
Meanwhile, the Filipino
artists weren't to be denied their
moment.
The first one onstage was
Gloc-9, who's well on his way to
becoming a local hip-hop icon,
despite his reluctance.
The rapper's music
seamlessly married hip-hop and
rock, most evident in the
empowering “Sirena” and the
sassy “Sumayaw Ka.” And as he
does so often in his shows, Gloc9 paid tribute to Francis
Magalona, one of his biggest
idols.
“I wouldn't be here if it
weren't for him,” he told the
crowd, pounding his chest and
raising his arms up. Standing
before a sea of glowing lights,
Gloc-9 then performed
Crank up the energy
Filipino-American artist
apl.de.ap of The Black Eyed Peas
cranked up the energy further,
with “I Gotta Feeling.” Apl, who
sang “Bebot” and “The APL
Song” (with Slapshock's Jamir
Garcia) ended his set by bringing
in Abra, Loonie and Jessica
Reynoso for “Where is the Love”
- with the verses delivered in
Filipino.
In a display of solidarity, the
MTV Music Evolution ended
with all the rappers cooking up
musical bedlam onstage, as thick
confetti rained down.
“This is history in the
making,” Naughty by Nature
bellowed. “It's like a hip-hop
version of 'Thrilla in Manila!'”
Inquirer.net
me if I knew the song 'Lay Me Down.'
When I said yes, David played it on
his mobile phone, trying to figure out
the notes and chords,” she related in
a recent interview with the Inquirer.
The very next moment, Foster,
who served as a judge in “Asia's Got
Talent,” turned on his keyboards.
And before long, he and Charice
were jamming. “It was like the good
old times. I was happy, singing my
heart out, when out of nowhere, he
asked me if I would like to perform
the song in the show,'” she said.
T h a t s a m e d a y, F o s t e r
introduced Charice to the talent
contest's producers, who offered her
a spot right off the bat. “They already
had ideas on how the number would
be like. Everything was happening so
fast, and I was caught off-guard,” she
said. “I didn't even have clothes to
wear. But luckily, they took care of
everything.”
Teary audience
Her performance was taped the
following day, and aired as part of the
show's finale last week. Charice
admitted that there was a little bit of
pressure, because she didn't know
how the fans would react to their
reunion. “But when the music
played, I felt at peace and confident.
Come on, it's David Foster! I trust
him,” she said.
Midway through her number, the
23-year-old singer noticed that not a
few guests inside the studio were
nearly in tears. She didn't belt out as
forcefully as before and just
continued to make her rendition as
heartfelt as possible.
In the end, Charice was duly
rewarded with a standing ovation.
“It was mission accomplished…I
didn't need to hit high notes just to
impress people. This is the kind of
music that I want to do,” said Charice,
who will fly to the United States next
month to work on a still secret
project. “And to see David play the
piano as I sang was priceless. I was so
happy.”
Prior to this TV appearance with
Foster, Charice reconnected late last
year with her godmother, media
mogul Oprah Winfrey, who had been
instrumental to the one-time
YouTube star's international
success. Charice appeared on the
now defunct “The Oprah Winfrey
Show” four times. It was also
Winfrey who hooked up the young
talent with Foster.
Foster asked Charice to be part
of his 2008 tribute concert, “Hitman:
David Foster and Friends,” in Las
Vegas, Nevada. The two then
appeared on TV in the United States
and did concerts around world.
Foster was also the producer of
Charice's self-titled international
album, which was released in 2010.
In late 2011, however, Foster
announced that he would no longer
produce music for Charice because
they were no longer under the same
label: Foster had transferred to
Universal Records, while Charice
stayed with Warner Music.
Charice suffered a series of
personal and family issues, which
l a s te d u n t i l h e r c o m i n g - o u t
announcement in 2013.
Asked how she felt seeing
W i n f rey a n d Fo s te r a ga i n ,
Charicewho's set to do shows in
Japan and France in the coming
months - related: “I wasn't in touch
with them because I didn't want
them to see me at my worst. I had to
focus on my issues…But now I'm
glad they were finally be able to see
me for who I really am.” Inquirer.net
To advertise, please call
201-434-1114
Or send an email to filexpress@aol.com
May 29-June 4, 2015
Page 25
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
'The Normal Heart' sears
hearts in Manila this July
Larry Kramer's classic play about HIV will have 5 performances on
July 3 to 5 at the Carlos P. Romulo Theater, under Bart Guingona's direction
By Vaughn Alviar
Bart Guingona has yet to watch
Larry Kramer's “The Normal
Heart” live, but he'll already direct
it and play the lead role of Ned
Weeks in a five-show production in
July.
“I like it that way,” he says. “It
gives you fresh eyes, a fresh
perspective.”
“The Normal Heart” was first
staged off Broadway back in 1985.
Between then and 2011, when it
finally hit Broadway, groups picked
up the script for hundreds of
shows.
A largely autobiographical
piece, the play is set in New York in
the early 1980s, when HIV/AIDS
was first recorded in the city's gay
c o m m u n i t y. We e k s r a l l i e d
members of the community to fight
what was fast becoming a plague,
first called “gay cancer” and lacking
research, even recognition.
The story includes a romance, a
brotherhood and an organization
all going through emotional and
socio-political turmoil because of
the uncertainties around
H I V / A I D S a n d wh a t We e ks
passionately believes is deliberate
neglect by government.
More powerful
In 2014, the play was adapted
into a critically acclaimed HBO TV
The actress (center, 2nd row) with the cast of “Gigi.” Margot Schulman
Fil-Am Vanessa Hudgens'
‘magical' Broadway debut
By Ruben V. Nepales
movies directed by Ryan Murphy. It
starred Mark Ruffalo as Weeks and
Matt Bomer as his love interest
Felix Turner.
“I've seen the HBO movie,
which I liked, but I think a stage
version would be more powerful,”
says Guingona. He had already read
parts of the script in the 1990s and
u Page 26
LOS ANGELES -- “This is the
hardest I've ever worked, hands
down,” Filipino-American Vanessa
Hudgens said about performing
the title role in her Broadway
debut, “Gigi.” But the singeractress stressed that she is having
the time of her life portraying a
free-spirited Parisian teen at the
turn of the 20th century.
The role was played by Audrey
Hepburn in a Broadway
production that opened in 1951
and Leslie Caron in the film that
wo n n i n e O s c a r s i n 1 9 5 8 ,
including best picture. The first
film adaptation of Colette's 1944
novella was a 1949 French movie.
Every night except Monday at
the Neil Simon Theatre, Vanessa
gets to sing Alan Jay Lerner and
Frederick Loewe's songs and wear
Catherine Zuber's elegant Belle
Epoque Paris costumes in “Gigi,”
adapted by Heidi Thomas and
directed by Eric Schaeffer.
The actress has come a long
way from her first “stage”
experience in preschool when she
played Mother Mary and sang
“Away in a Manger.” She said that
her familydad Greg, mom Gina
( n e e G u a n g c o ; s h e' s f r o m
southern Philippines) and sister
Stella - is thrilled about the
“amazing opportunity” to debut
on Broadway.
More information about the
show, which moved to New York
following its run at the Kennedy
Center in Washington, DC, and
ticket details are on
gigionbroadway.com. Inquirer.net
'SAN ANDREAS'
Hollywood earthquake 101: Separating fact from fiction
Associated Press
LOS ANGELES -- The San
Andreas Fault awakens, unleashing
back-to-back jolts that leave a trail
of misery from Los Angeles to San
Francisco. Skyscrapers crumble.
Fires erupt. The letters of the
Hollywood sign topple. Tsunami
waves swamp the Golden Gate
Bridge.
Hollywood's favorite geologic
bad guy is back in “San Andreas” - a
fantastical look at one of the world's
real seismic threats.
The San Andreas has long been
considered one of the most
dangerous earthquake faults
because of its length. At nearly 800
miles long, it cuts through
California like a scar and is
responsible for some of the largest
shakers in state history.
In the film, opening this Friday,
May 29, a previously unknown fault
near the Hoover Dam in Nevada
ruptures and jiggles the San
Andreas. Southern California is
rocked by a powerful magnitude9.1 quake followed by an even
stronger magnitude-9.6 in
Northern California.
U.S. Geological Survey
seismologist Susan Hough
accompanied The Associated Press
to an advance screening of the film.
Despite the implausible plot, she
said the San Andreas will indeed
This photo provided by Warner Bros. Pictures shows Dwayne Johnson, left,
as Ray, and Carla Gugino as Emma, in a scene from the action thriller, “San
Andreas.” The movie releases in theaters on May 29, 2015.
(Jasin Boland/Warner Bros. Pictures via AP)
break again, and without warning.
“We are at some point going to
face a big earthquake,” she said.
The San Andreas is notorious
for producing big ones, but a
magnitude-9 or larger is virtually
impossible because the fault is not
long or deep enough, Hough noted.
The most powerful temblors in
recorded history have struck along
offshore subduction zones where
one massive tectonic plate dives
b e n e a t h a n o t h e r. T h e 1 9 6 0
magnitude-9.5 quake off Chile is the
current world record holder.
The San Andreas has revealed
its awesome power before. In 1906,
a magnitude-7.8 reduced parts of
San Francisco to fiery rubble.
Nearly five decades earlier, a
similar-sized quake rattled the
southern end of the fault.
In 2008, the USGS led a team of
300 experts that wrote a script
detailing what would happen if a
magnitude-7.8 hit the southern San
Andreas. They wanted to create a
science-based crisis scenario that
can be used for preparedness drills.
The lesson: It doesn't take a
This Feb. 16, 2000 file image from NASA, acquired by the Shuttle Radar
Topography Mission (SRTM) aboard space shuttle Endeavour and combined
with a Landsat image, creates this perspective view to the northwest along the
San Andreas Fault near the city of Palmdale, California, center right.
Hollywood's favorite geologic bad guy is back in “San Andreas,” a fantastical
look at one of the world's real seismic threats. The fault awakens, unleashing
back-to-back jolts that leave a trail of misery from Los Angeles to San
Francisco. The San Andreas has long been considered one of the most
dangerous earthquake faults because of its length. At nearly 800 miles long, it
cuts through California like a scar and is responsible for some of the largest
shakers in state history. AP
magnitude-9 or greater to wreak
havoc. Researchers calculated a
magnitude-7.8 would cause 1,800
deaths and 50,000 injuries.
Hundreds of old brick buildings and
concrete structures and a few highrise steel buildings would collapse.
Computer models show the San
Andreas is capable of producing a
magnitude-8.3 quake, but anything
larger is dubious.
Will there be a warning?
u Page 26
May 29-June 4, 2015
Page 26
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Hollywood
earthquake ...
From page 25
In the film, Lawrence
Hayes, a fictional seismologist
at Caltech (a real university),
notices spikes in “magnetic
pulses” that light up California
like a Christmas tree, heralding
a monster quake.
Despite a century of
research, earthquake
prediction remains elusive.
Scientists can't predict when a
jolt is coming and are generally
pessimistic about ever having
that ability.
Every warning sign
scrutinized - animal behavior,
weather patterns,
e l e c t ro m a g n e t i c s i g n a l s ,
atmospheric observations,
levels of radon gas in soil or
groundwater - has failed.
“We wish it were as simple
as the movie portrays. It isn't.
Researchers have scoured
every imaginable signal trying
to find reliable precursors, but
nothing has panned out,”
Hough said.
The latest focus has been on
creating early warning systems
t h a t g ive re s i d e n t s a n d
businesses a few seconds heads
up after a quake hits, but before
strong shaking is felt.
Japan has the most
advanced seismic alert system
in the world while the U.S. is
currently testing a prototype.
A tsunami in San Francisco?
Unlike the film, the San
Andreas can't spawn tsunamis.
Most tsunamis are
triggered by underwater
quakes, but they can also be
caused by landslides, volcanoes
and even meteor impacts.
Giant tsunami waves are
formed when the Earth's crust
violently shifts, displacing huge
amounts of seawater. The
larger the magnitude, the more
these waves can race across the
ocean without losing energy.
The San Andreas is strikeslip fault, in which opposing
blocks of rocks slide past each
other horizontally. A big San
Andreas quake can spark fires
and other mayhem, but it can't
displace water and flood San
Francisco.
Hough said the movie got
one aspect right: The tide
suddenly ebbing out signals a
tsunami is coming.
More than 80 - mostly small
- tsunamis have been observed
along California's coast in the
past, triggered mainly by
faraway quakes.
Will the East Coast feel it?
In the movie, the scientist
warned that shaking would be
felt on the East Coast.
Even the largest possible
San Andreas quake won't rattle
the East Coast (Sorry New
York).
While seismic waves from
great quakes can make the
Earth reverberate like a bell,
the ringing can only be detected
by sensitive instruments
because it's so low.
Historical accounts show
shaking from the 1906 San
Andreas quake was barely felt
in western Nevada and
southern Oregon, Hough said.
Drop, cover and hold on!
When the ground starts to
shake, the seismologist played
by Paul Giamatti makes the
ideal public service
announcement: “Drop, cover
and hold on.”
Since 2008, millions of
people in California and
elsewhere have participated in
yearly disaster drills in which
they practice diving under a
table and learn other
preparedness tips.
If you're outdoors when the
ground moves, experts
recommend bracing against a
wall, similar to what searchand-rescue helicopter pilot Ray
Gaines, played by Dwayne “The
Rock” Johnson, told scared
survivors in the movie.
“Having Paul Giamatti
shouting, “Drop, cover and hold
on!” and The Rock telling
people to crouch against a wall
if they can is one heck of a PSA,”
Hough said. Inquirer.net
‘The Normal
Heart’ ... From page 25
found it highly dramatic. As early as
then, he was mulling a staging.
Weeks is relatable, says Guingona.
His own personality isn't very far from
the main character's own - his angers
and frustrations, his being a loudmouth,
which gets him into trouble.
With the five shows in Manila - “The
Normal Heart's” first-ever staging in
the Philippines - Guingona wants to
highlight the timely issue of HIV/AIDS
which is affecting more and more
individuals, many of them in the gay
community.
Joining him in the play are Topper
Fabregas as Turner and Roselyn Perez
as Emma Brookner, the doctor who first
took note of the rise in HIV infections.
The cast also includes Richard
Cunanan, Jef Flores and Red
Concepcion. Three more roles remain
to be cast, says Guingona.
The disease is “alarming and below
the radar,” he says. “The condition [in
the Philippines] now is similar [to the
conditions in the play]; the mainstream
is oblivious, and homosexuals are
marginalized.”
Bigger picture
He notes the bigger picture to
examine - age-old issues of machismo,
religious taboos against homosexuality,
the politics of allocating public
resources to HIV treatment and
prevention.
To those who would think the
Filipino audience is not yet ready for
frank portrayals of the disease and its
victims, Guingona says, “It's already the
21st century, if they're not ready, they
should be.”
But “the last thing I want is for
people to see [“The Normal Heart”] as a
gay play,” Guingona hastens to add. “It's
much deeper than that.”
“A friend asked me why the play is
called 'The Normal Heart,' because
nowhere in the script is it mentioned. It
is based on a poem by W.H. Auden
(“September 1, 1939”)… It says that we
can keep fighting… but what the normal
heart wants is love.”
“The Normal Heart” will run July 3
to 5 at the Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium,
RCBC Plaza. Inquirer.net
The shoot required a lot of hiking to numerous locations and filming scenes on
a narrow stone ledge with a 10- to 20-foot drop. Geofrey Nawe
Filmmaker ...
From page 24
individuals from the Philippines, the
US, France, Mexico, India and Puerto
Rico,” he asserted.
“The Banaue Boy's” journey
continues.
“It will be available to be viewed at
the Short Film Corner of the [ongoing]
Cannes International Fil Festival,” he
said. “I hope to make the rounds of the
festival circuit, too.”
It won five awards at the NYU Tish
Asia Craft Awards for film producing
(Martin, Lozano, Ayesha Anna Ninan),
screenwriting (Martin),
cinematography (Villa-Ruiz), editing
(Martin) and acting (Delina).
Directorial debut
Although he made “a handful of
Angel is ready ...
From page 23
cannot promise anything to you,
but beautiful grandchildren.' That
really made my dad laugh. It's
important for me that my partner cares
for and respects my family.”
Angel is currently working with
Luis' mom in a Star Cinema-produced
film where she plays a nurse. “I have to
memorize a lot of things - not just
medical terms, but also the names of
different kinds of medicines. My [reallife] best friend is a nurse and… the
movie renewed my respect for nurses
and other health workers. It's so sad
that they only get very little
compensation for their hard work.”
Angel pointed out: “The job of a
short films” as a teenager, he considers
“The Banaue Boy” his directorial debut.
“I will be making another short for my
thesis graduating film and I am gearing
up for my first feature film after that. I
have lots of ideas.”
Martin, who looks up to Terrence
Malick as his “biggest inspiration and
influence,” hopes to return to Banaue, to
write a feature film.
“I am definitely planning to return
to Manila when my short film screens in
a festival there,” he said. “It will be
wonderful for my cast and crew to be
acknowledged publicly for their talent.”
And why make a film in the
Philippines?
“I truly believe there is more
opportunity now more than ever …
within the Southeast Asian region and
the Philippines, to create new content
that is either commercial or indie,” he
said. Inquirer.net
health worker is important. They
cannot afford to make mistakes - even a
small one could be deadly. This is an
inspiring film. It's a modern take on a
mother-daughter relationship.”
No decision yet
Asked about Luis' reported plan to
join politics, Angel said her boyfriend
has not decided yet. She also clarified
that she would not run for public office.
“I prefer to be a follower rather than a
leader. A public servant is someone who
should be able to make people believe
in him and eventually follow him.”
She said one doesn't have to be a
politician in order to help others.
“That's why I always join campaigns
similar to Avon's… those that promote
specific causes… projects that fight for
the rights of women.” Inquirer.net
May 29-June 4, 2015
Page 27
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Taking Care of the Voice
By Pocholo Gonzales
We all do a lot of talking, be
it in our personal or
professional life. From
motivating staff, to delivering a
sales presentation, to cheering
for a favorite sports team, we
use our voice most of our
waking day.
There is no sound in the
world that is more powerful
than the human voice. Perhaps
not the loudest, nor the most
relaxing, but the most
powerful sound nonetheless.
In his Ted talk “How to Speak
so People will Listen” speaker
and author Julian Treasure
said it best: “It's the only sound
that can start a war, or say I
LOVE YOU.”
However, despite being an
extraordinary and powerful
instrument, most of us never
take conscious effort to
improve our voice, much less
to take care of it. It seems our
“default setting” is that the
moment we open our mouths
to speak, we EXPECT voice to
come out. That is, until we start
to experience otherwise. Once
we experience sore throat,
hoarseness, and loss of voice,
we scramble to find a cure, and
learn the techniques and
behaviors needed to salvage
what is left of our voice.
This is especially true for
professional voice users, those
of us whose jobs rely mainly on
the use of their voice. Teachers
are the best examples of
professional voice users. Not
only do they make up the
largest population, but the
vocal demands on teachers
both in terms of frequency and
intensity are greater than
other professionals. In fact,
teachers are 3-5 times more
likely to experience voice
problems than the general
population, and a whopping
32 times more likely to report
voice problems than those of
other occupations!
We always say prevention
is better than cure, and it is no
different when it comes to the
vo i c e . O n e o f t h e m o s t
important things to
understand in voice care is the
science of how it is produced.
Did you know that proper
posture and breathing are the
two most important aspects of
producing voice? Posture
ensures that the “container” of
your voice (a.k.a. your body) is
aligned so that your breathing,
which is the fuel of the voice,
becomes easy and natural.
Any good musician knows
that it's not enough to play
music well, that you need to
know how to take care of your
instrument if you are to get the
best out of it. Without proper
care, a musical instrument will
be difficult to play, and may
even cause damage that would
require expensive repairs or
worse, the need to be replaced.
Your voice is also an
instrument. You can definitely
learn how to “play” it, but you
need to know how to take care
of it. The main difference is…
you can replace your musical
instrument, but not your voice.
About Pocholo Gonzales
P o c h o l o
“ T h e
VoiceMaster” Gonzales is a
veteran voice artist,
experienced radio
broadcaster, internationallyacclaimed youth advocate,
author and highly sought-after
motivational speaker and
trainer. He is the CEO of
Creativoices Productions, and
t h e f o r c e b e h i n d m a ny
advocacy organizations such
as Voice of the Youth Network
and Voice Care Philippines. At
present, Pocholo is a
Philippine delegate to the
Advanced Leadership Training
of Haggai Institute, the
premier international
Evangelism school for world
Christian leaders. (www.
filipinospeaker.net/)
Nora Aunor feels it's important for the world to know what
happened in Tacloban. Photo by Troy Espiritu
'Taklub' premieres in Manila
Brillante Ma. Mendoza's
latest work, “Taklub,” will make
its Philippine premiere as the
opening movie of the French
Film Festival in Manila on June 3.
An entry in the Un Certain
Regard section of the recent
Cannes Film Festival, it won the
Ecumenical Jury PrizeCommendation (Special
Mention) last Saturday, May 23.
The acclaimed film, which topbills Nora Aunor as a survivor of
Supertyphoon “Yolanda,” will be
shown at Greenbelt 3 in Makati.
Bayani San Diego Jr. Inquirer.net
TO ADVERTISE, PLEASE CALL
201-434-1114
Filipino theater actress seeks
crowdfunding for NY education
By Yuji Gonzales
A Filipino theater actress has been
accepted to New York's prestigious Juilliard
School of performing arts, but she is still
millions of pesos away from pursuing her
dreams.
Out of an initial pool of about 2,000
applicants, Regina de Vera, a resident actor
of the Cultural Center of the Philippines'
Tanghalang Pilipino Actors Company, was
one of the 18 people admitted to Juilliard's
four-year Masters of Fine Arts in Acting
program.
In her Instagram post, De Vera said she
used her childhood savings to make it to the
auditions of Juilliard's Drama Division.
“This opportunity comes rarely in the
lifetime of an artist especially for someone
born and raised in the Philippines,” De Vera
said. “I am determined to pursue this path
and hopefully make my country proud.”
The Ateneo de Manila University
graduate said Juilliard granted her a
scholarship of $26,000 or around P1.16
million.
However, De Vera said she still needs
around P1.5 million to qualify for a student
visa due before June 15, and another
$61,290 or approximately P2.74 million due
on Aug. 10 for the cost of her studies for the
first semester alone. The total cost includes
tuition and other fees ($39,720), payment
for residence hall ($14,790), books and
other supplies ($3,440), transportation
($1,590), supplemental insurance ($1,500),
and orientation fee ($250).
Screengrab from De Vera's Instagram account
De Vera has launched an online
campaign “#GoFundRegina” through the
fundraising site Indiegogo, asking the public
for monetary donations to subsidize her
expenses.
“Any amount that you contribute will
matter. If you could also help by sharing my
story, I would greatly appreciate it,” she said.
As of writing, De Vera has raised an
estimate of P350,000, still P825,000 short of
her minimum posted goal of P1.175 million.
Notable Juilliard alumni include
American actor and comedian Robin
Williams and Oscar-nominated actresses
V i o l a D av i s a n d J e s s i c a C h a s t a i n .
Inquirer.net
May 29-June 4, 2015
Page 28
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Mayweather still world's highestpaid athlete; Pacquiao 2nd on list
By Yuji Gonzales
After winning his
megabuck bout with Filipino
boxing icon Manny Pacquiao,
undefeated American boxer
F l o y d M a y w e a t h e r J r.
maintained his stature as the
world's highest-paid athlete
according to the annual list of
ESPN.
In a report by the
international sports network,
Mayweather was said to have
earned $6 million per minute
during his record-breaking
welterweight unification fight
against Pacquiao last May 2
(May 3, Manila time),
bolstering his earnings to the
top of the list.
“Total revenue from the
long-anticipated fight could
be north of $500 million roughly equal to the 2014
gross domestic product of
Tonga - with Mayweather
clearing somewhere around
$250 million,” ESPN said.
Mayweather was said to have
earned $73.5 million last year
according to the same list.
Pacquiao landed on
second place with $150
million. He was not on the
ESPN list in 2014.
Football superstars Lionel
Messi of Barcelona and
Cristiano Ronaldo of Real
Madrid came in third and
fourth with $56.3 million and
$50.2 million, respectively.
Fo r m u l a O n e d r i v e r
Sebastian Vettel ranked fifth
after raking in $50 million.
Fellow league drivers
Fernando Alonso and Lewis
Rachel Ann Daquis (left) and Abi Maraño. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
Floyd Mayweather Jr. (left) and Manny Pacquiao. AFP file photo
Hamilton took the sixth and
eighth spots with
payrollsamounting to $40
million and $31 million.
Baseball pitcher Clayton
Kershaw of the Major League
of Baseball's (MLB) Los
Angeles Dodgers tied with
Hamilton at eighth place.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic, star
forward of France's Paris
Saint-Germain at Ligue 1, is
the seventh richest athlete
after earning $35.1 M.
MLB's Justin Verlander of
the Detroit Tigers also made it
to the top 10 with $28 million.
Baseball players
dominated the rest of the top
25: Zack Greinke of the LA
Dodgers (11th with $27
million), Josh Hamilton, Ryan
Howard, and Cliff Lee of the
Texas Rangers (13th with $25
million each), Felix
Hernandez of the Seattle
Mariners (16th with $24.9
million), Albert Pujols of the
LA Angels, Robinson Cano of
the Seattle Mariners, and
Texas Rangers' Prince Filder
(17th with $24 million each),
Cole Hamels of the
Philadelphia Phillies (20th
with $23.5 million), Mark
Teixeira of the New York
Yankees (24th with $23.1
million), and Joe Mauer of the
Minnesota Twins and CC
Sabathia of the New York
Yankees (25th with $23
million).
Only two NBA athletes
cracked the ESPN list, with
Kobe Bryant of the Los
Angeles Lakers being the
h i g h e s t - p a i d b a s ke t b a l l
player (20th with $23.5
million). Joe Johnson of the
Brooklyn Nets ranked 23rd
after earning $23.2 million.
ESPN's figures were based
solely on recent gross salaries,
excluding sponsorships and
endorsements. Inquirer.net
Juan Manuel Marquez wants
to fight one last time
By Mark Giongco
Mexican boxing legend
Juan Manuel Marquez is
eyeing one last fight before
closing the curtains on a
celebrated ring career.
The 41-year-old Marquez,
who will be best remembered
for knocking Filipino
superstar Manny Pacquiao
out cold in their fourth
meeting in 2012, has not
fought since a unanimous
decision win over Mike
Alvarado on May 17 of last
year.
The four-division world
champion has been
attempting to plunge back in
action in the past year but has
been slowed down by a
lingering knee injury.
“I want to keep fighting, at
least to have one more fight,”
Marquez told boxing
scene.com. “My family has
asked me to leave boxing, but
I want to do another fight -
Juan Manuel Marquez reacts to the crowd after weighing in for a
welterweight fight against Manny Pacquiao last Dec. 7, 2012 in
Las Vegas. AP Photo/Julie Jacobson
because I still feel good.”
Just like how he forced a
draw against his longtime
rival Pacquiao in their first
fight despite being down four
times in the opening round,
don't expect Marquez to hold
back.
His fate, though, is in the
hands of his doctors.
“The final decision will be
made within a month, as that
will be when the doctors will
advise me if I can be well
enough [to return to the ring]
with respect to the injury that
I have on my one knee, which I
have treating for a while,”
Marquez said. Inquirer.net
Rachel Ann Daquis all
set to fulfill a dream
By Bong Lozada
Large stand fans circled the old
parquet floor attempting to cool off the
May summer heat. A dozen lamps lit up
Ateneo's Blue Eagle Gym.
In one corner of the floor, a dozen
women stood in a semi-circle listening
tentatively to a man of wisdom that
countless years of experience gave him.
Of the bunch of ladies ready to
represent the Philippines, one smiled.
She is Rachel Ann Daquis, and she is
ready to fulfill her dream of playing for
the Philippines in the 2015 Singapore
Southeast Asian Games.
“It's still part of the dream. I haven't
fulfilled it yet because the SEA Games
haven't started,” she said after they
broke off their huddle.
Daquis is part of the 12-woman
lineup that practiced at Ateneo May 22
evening.
She once said after their titleclincher at the Philippine Super Liga
that her dream was to wear the
Philippine tricolor in an international
competition.
In June, Daquis will finally fulfill her
dream.
Tired from their almost three-hour
practice, Daquis struggled to bring her
new SEA Game bag but she managed to
get help from two Good Samaritans as
she walked to her car in the parking lot.
“It's still volleyball for me,” she said.
It's still volleyball, but this time she
will represent the country for the first
time in the SEA Games. Inquirer.net
Fil-Am lawyers sue over 'Fight of
the Century' but spares Pacquiao
LOS ANGELES – A Filipino
American law firm sued the promoter,
trainer and manager of Manny
Pacquiao for allegedly perpetrating
fraud in the so-called “Fight of the
Century” between Pacquiao and Floyd
Mayweather, becoming just one of
several lawsuits filed after May 2 the
fight in Las Vegas.
Some 32 lawsuits are now pending
in different U.S. Courts, all based on the
non-disclosure of Pacquiao's right
shoulder rotator cuff injury, which was
sustained during his pre-fight training.
However, clients of the Filipino Law
Group, which filed class action suit No.
BC581363 in the Superior Court of
California for the County of Los
Angeles-Central District on May 11, did
not name Pacquiao himself as a
defendant.
Instead, the complaint was lodged
only against Top Rank, Inc., Bob Arum,
Michael Koncz and Freddie Roach.
Unlike other litigants, FLG decided
not to sue Pacquiao because it believes
t h a t b oxe r ' s m a n a g e m e n t a n d
promotion team were ultimately
responsible and made the executive
decision not to disclose his injury.
“We believe that Manny Pacquiao's
interests differ than those of his
management and promotion team,”
stated Atty. Ed Lopez.
“For example, you want to watch
yo u r f avo r i t e s i n g e r p e r f o r m .
Promoters blast the news everywhere
about the 'Concert Of The Year,' which
gets you excited, and so you run to
purchase tickets. At the concert you
realize your favorite singer has a sore
throat, which resulted in a very poor
p e r fo r m a n c e . Wo u l d yo u h ave
purchased tickets knowing your
favorite singer had a sore throat?”
Lopez explained.
Not only did Top Rank, Inc., Bob
Arum, Michael Koncz and Freddie
Roach intentionally conceal Pacquaio's
injury, they misrepresented that
Pacquiao was 100 percent physically fit
to knock out Floyd Mayweather. The
complaint alleges.
The attempt to conceal Pacquiao's
injury is evidenced by Michael Koncz'
overt act of indicating to the Nevada
State Athletic Commission on a prefight questionnaire that he filled out
and answered for Manny Pacquiao, the
suit alleges further.
“This lawsuit is not only for Manny
Pacquiao, Floyd Mayweather, or
Filipinos. We have filed this lawsuit on
behalf of boxing fans and enthusiasts all
over the world who believe that they
have been misled and to preserve the
integrity of the sports of boxing,” added
Atty. Marlon Baldomero.
Filipino Law Group is
headquartered in Los Angeles,
California. Information on joining this
lawsuit can be found on the Filipino
Law Group's Facebook page by clicking
on the link displayed or calling
1.855.MABUHAY (1.855.6228429).
Inquirer.net
May 29-June 4, 2015
Page 29
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Deadlier than a heart attack
But aortic aneurysm can also be prevented
By Anne A. Jambora
There's a deadly vascular
disease that can cause death within
minutes. And an estimated 200,000
Filipinos are oblivious to the fact
that they have the condition.
People are familiar with, and
normally fear, heart attacks, but less
is known of the silent killer called
aortic aneurysm, the third leading
cause of sudden death. Because it's
usually asymptomatic, aortic
aneurysm develops slowly and
quietly over many years. Once it
strikes, only 50 percent make it to
the hospital alive, and only half of
those who do survive their
operation.
Early detection and intervention
could have prevented these deaths.
This was revealed during the
awareness symposium hosted by
the Aortic Endovascular Unit, Heart
Institute of the Chinese General
Hospital and Medical Center
(CGHMC) in Manila.
Aortic aneurysm occurs when
the aorta wall deteriorates and
weakens, causing the artery to dilate
(balloon) until it ruptures. The aorta
is the largest artery in the body
where most of the blood is
contained. Aneurysms occur in the
arteries, where the oxygenated
blood from the heart is transported
to supply the body's organs. Very
rarely do they occur in the veins, the
blood vessel responsible for
carrying the used, deoxygenated
blood back to the heart.
“Ruptured aortic aneurysm has
a higher mortality rate than heart
attacks. Seventy-five to 80 percent
with ruptured aortic aneurysm die
compared to 10 to 20 percent of
people coming in with heart
attacks,” said Dr. Timothy Dy, an
interventional cardiologist at the
CGHMC.
Pressure in the arteries is 120
millimeter of mercury (mm Hg),
compared 5-10 mm Hg in the veins.
The body contains about 5 liters of
blood. When the aneurysm
ruptures, the high pressure in the
arteries is enough to cause massive
internal hemorrhage that people die
within minutes.
Think of aneurysm like the highpressure pipes in your house, said
interventional cardiologist Dr.
Melissa Co-Sia. When all that
suppressed high pressure suddenly
bursts, the water supply for the
entire household will be aborted.
“That is why this is so deadly.
The rest of the body is no longer
supplied with blood. Mortality is
high, around 82 percent do not
survive it, because of the sudden
loss of blood. Naubos ang dugo.
Second chances are rare,” Sia said.
Two kinds
There are two kinds of aortic
aneurysm: Thoracic Aortic
Aneurysm (TAA), which occurs in
the aorta close to the heart; and
Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA),
or one that occurs in the abdominal
area.
Conditions that cause TAA
include aging, or the inevitable
deterioration of the body along with
the aorta; development of
cholesterol deposits in the blood
vessels; chronic hypertension,
where high tension in the wall of the
arteries destroys the
integrity of the arteries; chest
injury from accidents that can tear
or rupture the aorta; and genetic
predisposition.
A simple change in lifestyle, such
as adopting a diet and a set of
activities that can control blood
pressure, can help prevent the
d i s e a s e f ro m d eve l o p i n g o r
progressing.
“Aneurysm can develop in any
part of the body. Any organ with an
artery can develop an aneurysm,”
said Dr. Nelson Lee, thoracic and
cardiovascular surgeon.
Symptoms
A l t h o u g h TA A i s u s u a l ly
asymptomatic, if symptoms do
manifest they include: hoarse voice,
since it affects the nerves
responsible for the voice; difficulty
swallowing; pain in the chest, the
hallmark of the disease; and severe
chest or back pain.
People at risk for TAA are those
50 years and above.
EXPRESS SUDOKU
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row, each column and each 3x3 block contains all the numbers from 1 to 9
Solution to Issue 21 Sudoku
Solution to Issue 21 Crossword
Actor/comedian John Ritter was
only 54 when he died from a
ruptured TAA.
Smokers are at high risk, as well
as those with a family history of
aneurysm. Men are also more
p re d i s p o s e d t o t h e d i s e a s e
compared to women, Lee said, since
hypertension and heavy smoking
are more common among men.
Screening, such as CT scan, chest
X-ray, 2D echo or MRI, should ideally
start at 50, he said. But since the
disease today strikes people even in
their 30s and 40s, Lee said it would
be best to start a few years earlier.
AAA, on the other hand, is the
dilation of the aorta in the abdomen
area. This caused the death of
physicist Albert Einstein.
As it turns out, smoking is
deadlier than you think. People
normally associate smoking with
lung problems or cancer, but it also
affects the blood vessels starting
from the head all the way to the toes,
Sia said.
“Smoking increases the chances
of abdominal aneurysm,” said Sia.
Also at risk of developing AAA
are those with heart diseases, high
blood pressure, history of
abdominal aneurysm, blood vessel
disease, blockage in the arteries that
can also cause weakening of the
arteries.
The incidence of AAA is more
common than TAA. The overall
mortality rate of a ruptured AAA is
90 percent. Screening, such as
u l t ra s o u n d a n d C T s c a n , i s
recommended for early detection.
Dy said repairing the aorta is
like patching up a hole in the water
hose. There is no guarantee the
water hose will not develop new
holes in the future. If an aneurysm
has already occurred, there is a
chance other parts of the aorta have
also been compromised and
weakened.
The American comedienne
Lucille Ball, for instance, survived
TAA but eventually succumbed to
AAA years later.
T r a d i t i o n a l l y, a n a o r t i c
aneurysm is repaired via openheart surgery. A new technology,
however, called Endovascular
Aneurysm Repair (Evar) for AAA
and Thoracic Endovascular
Aneurysm Repair (Tevar), involves
repairing the aorta from the inside
by creating a 2-centimeter incision
in the groin area, and inserting a
catheter and guide wire to deploy a
stent graft made of space-age
material.
This creates a “bridge” or
pathway in the damaged area where
blood can travel once more. The cost
of such procedure ranges from
P800,000 to over P1 million.
Inquirer.net
May is National High Blood
Pressure Education Month
Page 30
EXPRESS CROSSWORD
ACROSS
1. Alpha's opposite
6. Competent
10. Chat
14. One who lays asphalt
15. Absorb written
material
16. Withdraw gradually
17. Improve
19. Therefore
20. A four-wheel covered
carriage
21. Barbie's beau
22. Place
23. Drive
25. Stave off
26. A long way off
30. A citrus fruit
32. Chooses
35. Low leather step-in
shoes
39. Persons
40. Paradise
41. Germless
1. Iridescent gem
43. Futile
2. Mother
44. Cream-filled pastry
3. Not odd
46. D D D D
4. Neuter
47. Lively
5. Operatic solos
50. Testicle
6. Arrive (abbrev.)
53. Part in a play
7. A chemistry cup
54. Directed
8. Sidelong
55. Optical illusion
9. Biblical garden
60. Norse god
10. Multiplied 12 times
61. Creator
11. Eagle's nest
63. Nipple
12. Type of beer
64. Forearm bone
13. Whip
65. Ancient Greek
18. Not in
marketplace
66. Boxes for bricks
67. Not the original color
68. Sexually assaults
DOWN
24. Dawn goddess
25. Marble
26. Vipers
27. 3 in a yard
28. Found in some
lotions
29. Acts as an agent
31. French for "We"
33. Computer mouse
action
34. Express in words
36. Type of sword
37. Ascend
38. Back talk
42. Thirstily
43. A large vase
45. A type of tincture
47. A thin soup
48. Cowboy sport
49. Homeric epic
51. French for
"Friend"
52. Kuwaiti
monetary unit
54. Blaring
56. Indian music
57. At the peak of
58. Pierce
59. Historical periods
62. Wander
aimlessly
May 29-June 4, 2015
Page 30
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
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Complete your online application today!
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Call:
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"May is National High Blood Pressure Education Month!"
Less is better in some things,
including in blood pressure.... A
condition affecting 1 in 4 Filipinos in
the US and 1 in 5 Asian Americans.
Blood pressure is the force of
blood on the walls of your blood
vessels as blood flows through them.
This pressure naturally rises and
falls during the day, but when it is
c o n s i s t e n t ly t o o h i g h , i t i s
considered high blood pressure. The
medical term is hypertension.
Like the pipes in your house,
your arteries can fail if they are
under too much pressure.
High blood pressure makes your
heart work too hard and increases
your risk of heart disease and
stroke. You can have high blood
pressure and not know it. That is
why it is called the "silent killer". It
is also why it is so important to have
your blood pressure checked.
If you know family or friends
who haven't had their blood
pressure checked recently, make it a
point to ask them to do it in May. It is
easy to check blood pressure and it
is painless. It can be checked by
many individuals including doctors,
nurses, pharmacists, community
health workers or other trained
volunteers. People can even check
their own blood pressure at home if
they've been show how to!
There are also steps you can take
to prevent high blood pressure or to
keep it under control if you have it.
These include limiting salt sodium)
in your diet; eating more fruits and
vegetables and whole grains, such as
brown rice instead of white rice; and
checking your blood pressure
regularly.
The REACH FAR project which
main purpose is educating our
fellow Pinoys in our area about High
Blood Pressure will be headed by
the Kalusugan Coalition subpartnered with the Philippine
Nurses Association of New York, Inc,
a Filipino-American professional
nursing organization, faith-based
organizations (Bayanihan Seventh
Day Adventist Long Island City NY
and New York Filipino Seventh Day
Adventist Woodside NY), local
restaurants (Payag Restaurant, Tito
Rad's Restaurant and Engeline's
Restaurant) and local and state
governmental agencies.
Through the REACH FAR Project,
Kalusugan Coalition together with
its sub-partners will implement
several key strategies to fight high
blood pressure and cardiovascular
disease in Filipino-American
communities.
These strategies include
working closely with: 1. Faith-based
organizations to improve nutrition
of its members by serving healthier
foods during communal meals; 2.
Filipino-American restaurants to
offer healthy menu options to its
customers; 3. Filipino-American
grocery and corner stores to ensure
the availability of healthy foods; and
4. The NYC Department of Health
will also offer health coaching
efforts in faith-based organizations
to improve high blood pressure
management among its FilipinoAmerican congregants. The scope
of this particular project will be in
the Filipino American Community in
the Borough of Queens in New York
City.
About Kalusugan Coalition
Kalusugan Coalition, a
multidisciplinary collaboration
dedicated to creating a unified voice
to improve the health of the Filipino
American community in the New
York/New Jersey area.
The Filipino Express is only $40 (52 copies)
for one year. That’s only 77 cents per copy and
mailed right to your home !
For details, call us at 201-434-1114 or send an email to filexpress@aol.com
May 29-June 4, 2015
Page 31
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
May 29-June 4, 2015
Page 32
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
EXPRESS